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Present  Edifice  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ. 
Built  in  1855. 


17  5  8  19  0  8 

Anttiu^rBarg 

First  Church  of  Christ 

NEW  BRITAIN,  CONNECTICUT 


COMPrLED  BY  DEACON  CHARLES  ELLIOTT  MITCHELL 


APRIL  25,    26   AND   27.   1908 


IDKINS  PRINTING.   CO., 
NEW  BRITAIN,   CONN. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Historical  Notes 5 

Introductory  7 

Order  of  Exercises    11 

Presentation  Address  by  Hon.  Charles  Elliott  Mitchell  17 

Address  of  Acceptance  by  Hon.  George  M.  Landers. ...  24 

Historical  Address  by  Prof.  David  N.  Camp 25 

Historical  Address  by  Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier 35 

Historical  Address  by  Mr.  Edward  H.  Davison 49 

Address  of  Rev.  G.  Henry  Sandwell 62 

Address  of  Rev.  John  H.  Denison,  D.  D 67 

Address  of  Rev.  William  Burnet  Wright,  D.  D 74 

Poem  of  Mr.  Howard  Arnold  Walter 85 

Address  of  Prof.  Bernadotte  Perrin 90 

Address  of  Rev.  John  Hopkins  Denison 93 

Address  of  Rev.  Watson  Woodruff 97 

Address  of  Rev.  J.  H.  Bell,  Ph.  D 99 

Address  of  Rev.  M.  S.  Anderson 103 

Address  of  Rev.  T.  Edwin  Brown,  D.  D 105 

Address  of  Rev.  Harry  I.  Bodley 109 

Appendix  113 

List  of  Original  Members,  April  19,  1758 115 

List  of  Pastors,  with  brief  sketches  of  their  lives, ....  116 

List  of  Deacons 121 

Article  on  the  Map  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  New 

Britain,  by  James  Shepard,  M.  A 122 


Stack 
Annex 


%5 


2(:i2'525 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Present  Edifice  of  the   First   Church  of 

Christ,  built  in   1855, 

Second  Edifice  of  the  Fh'st  Church  of  Christ 

built  in  1822   Opposite  page 

Portrait  of  Rev.  John  Smalley,  D.  D.... 
The  Boulder  Monument,  unveiled  April 

25,  1908 

Portrait  of  Hon.  Charles  Elliott  Mitchell 

Portrait  of  Hon.  George  M.  Landers 

Portrait  of  Professor  David  N.  Camp .  .  . 

Portrait  of  Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier 

Portrait  of  Mr.  Edward  H.  Davison 

Portrait  of  Rev.  G.  Henry  Sand  well .... 
Portrait  of  Rev.  John  H.  Denison,  D.  D. 
Portrait  of  Rev.  William  BurnetWright,  D .  D. 

Portrait  of  James  Shepard,  M.  A 

Map  of  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  New 

Britain  in  1758 


Frontispiece 


5 
11 

15 
17 
24 
28 
35 
49 
62 
67 
74 
122 

126 


Second  Edifice  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ. 
Built  in  1822. 


THE  PUBLICATION  OF  THIS  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  150th 
ANNIVERSARY  CELEBRATION  OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH. 
WAS  THE  GIFT  OF  DEACON  CHARLES  ELLIOTT  MITCHELL 
TO  THE  CHURCH.  THE  PROCEEDS  FROM  ITS  SALE  WILL  BE 
DEVOTED  TO  THE  FUND  THAT  IS  BEING  USED  FOR  SPECIAL 
BENEFACTIONS. 


HISTORICAL  NOTES 


The  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  in  New  Britain  was 
formed  in  1754. 

The  first  meeting-house  was  ready  for  occupancy  in 
1756,  but  was  not  then  entirely  finished. 

The  First  Church  was  organized  April  19,  1758  (one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  ago),  and  the  Rev.  John  Smalley 
was  ordained  on  the  same  day. 

The  Rev.  John  Smalley,  D.D.  was  active  pastor  of  this 
church  for  fifty- two  years  and  was  pastor  emeritus  for  ten 
years  more,  making  his  full  service  in  this  church  sixty-two 
years. 

The  second  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1822  upon  the 
site  where  the  Burritt  School  now  stands. 

The  third  edifice,  the  present  house  of  worship,  was  dedi- 
cated August  23d,  1855. 

The  first  Sunday  School  in  the  State  of  Connecticut  was 
organized  in  this  church  in  1816,  and  the  Rev.  Newton  Skinner 
was  chosen  its  president. 

The  South  Congregational  Church  of  this  city  was  organ- 
ized from  this  First  Church  in  1842. 


JfntroJiurtnrg 


XN  anticipation  of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  its  organization,  the  First  Church  of 
Christ  of  New  Britain,  on  June  27th,  1907,  appointed 
a  committee  to  plan  for  suitable  commemorative  services 
and  for  carrying  same  into  effect. 

The  committee  consisted  of  Deacon  CHARLES  E.  MITCHELL, 
(chairman;)  Rev.  HENRY  W.  Maier,  who  had  been  recently 
installed  as  pastor  of  the  church,  having  come  from  the  Union 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Schenectady,  N.  Y.;  CHARLES  J. 
Parker,  chairman  of  the  society's  committee;  and  WILLIAM 
C.  HUNGERFORD,  clerk  of  the  church. 

The   sub-committees    subsequently    appointed    were    as 
follows: 

Invitation  Committee 

Deacon  Frank  L.  Hungerford,  Chairman 
Dea.  Edward  H.  Davison,      Miss  Alice  G.  Stanley, 
Dea.  Cornelius  Andrews,     Miss  Jenny  L.  Haugh, 
Dea.  Henry  S.  Walter,         Miss  Mary  Pease, 
Mr.  Charles  J.  Parker,        Miss  Ellen  Tracy, 
Mr.  Wm.  C.  Hungerford,      Miss  Mary  Blake. 

Reception  Committee 

Mr.  Clarence  F.  Bennett,  Chairman 

Mrs.  C.  F.  Bennett,  Mr.  Willis  H.  DeWolf, 

Mr.  a.  Howard  Abbe,  Mrs.  W.  H.  DeWolf, 

Mrs.  a.  H.  Abbe,  Mr.  William  P.  Felt, 

Mr.  George  L.  Damon,  Mrs.  W.  P.  Felt, 

Mrs.  G.  L.  Damon,  Mr.  Morris  C.  Webster, 

Mr.  Charles  E.  Parsons,  Mrs.  M.  C.  Webster, 

Mrs.  C.  E.  Parsons,  Mr.  Stewart  Parsons, 

Mr.  Edward  G.  Bradley,  Mrs.  S.  Parsons, 

Mrs.  E.  G.  Bradley,  Mr.  James  B.  Thomson, 

Mr.  E.  Clayton  Goodwin,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Thomson, 

Mrs.  E.  C.  Goodwin,  Mr.  William  E.  Parker, 


8 

Mr.  a.  Tyson  Hancock,  Miss  Alida  S.  Walter, 

Mrs.  a.  T.  Hancock,  Mr.  Robert  Parsons, 

Mr.  Edwards  D.  Case,  Mrs.  Frank  G.  Vibberts, 

Mrs.  E.  D.  Case,  Miss  Louise  Platt, 

Mr.  George  L.  Stearns,  MissCorneliaChamberlain, 

Mr.  James  L.  Flint,  Miss  Bertha  Chamberlain, 

Mrs.  James  L.  Flint,  Miss  Bertha  Bancroft, 

Mr.  Everett  G.  Hoffman,  Mr.  Howard  L.  Platt, 

Mrs.  E.  G.  Hoffman,  Miss  Anna  Strickland, 

Mr.  William  S.  Bacon,  Miss  Addie  T.  Banister, 

Mrs.  W.  S.  Bacon,  Mr.  Walter  E.  Ingham. 
Mr.  Frank  A.  Porter, 

Historical  Committee 

Mr.  Charles  E.  Mitchell,  Chairman 
Mr.  Albert  N.  Lewis,  Mr.  Marcus  White, 

Mr.  Richard  R.  Porter,        Mr.  Herbert  H.  Pease, 
Mr.  James  Shepard,  Mrs.  V.  B.  Chamberlain. 

Historical  Exhibit  Committee 

Mrs.  Frank  L.  Hungerford,  Chairman 
Mrs.  Charles  J.  Parker,       Mrs.  Mary  H.  Upson. 

Finance  Committee 

Mr.  Fred.  G.  Platt,  Chairman 
Mr.  L.  Hoyt  Pease,      Mr.  Fred.  S.  Chamberlain, 
Mr.  Frank  H.  Alford,     Mr.  Frank  G.  Vibberts. 

Music  Committee 

Mr.  James  S.  North,  Chairman 
Mr.  William  H.  Gladden,     Mrs.  Rollin  H.  Judd, 
Mrs.  Charles  E.  Mitchell,  Mrs.  James  S.  North, 
Mrs.  Wm.  C.  Hungerford,     Mrs.  Mary  M.  Foster. 
Mrs.  Frank  H.  Alford, 

Entertainment  Committee 

Mrs.  Fred.  S.  Chamberlain,  Chairman 
Mrs.  Orlando  E.  Swift,        Mrs.  Henry  C.  Hine, 
Miss  Frances  Whittlesey,    Mrs.  Theresa  B.  Stanley, 
Mrs.  William  Parker,  Miss  Mary  Whittlesey, 

Mrs.  Frank  A.  Porter,  Mrs.  Mary  G.  Curtis. 

Mrs.  Herbert  L.  Mills, 


The  former  members  of  the  chiirch  and  absent  members, 
whose  addresses  could  be  ascertained,  were  invited  by  letter 
to  be  present  and  participate  in  the  celebration. 

Letters  were  also  written  to  the  following  churches  cor- 
dially inviting  them  to  attend: 


Union  Presbyterian  Church, 
First  Presbyterian  Church, 
Presbyterian  Church, 
Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
First  Church  of  Christ, 
Farmington  Ave.  Cong.  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
First  Congregational  Church, 
Center  Congregational  Church, 
Third  Congregational  Church, 
South  Congregational  Church, 
Swedish  Bethany  Cong.  Church, 
Stanley  Memorial  Cong.  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 
Congregational  Church, 


Schenectady,  N.  Y. 

Seneca  Falls,  N.  Y. 

Oaks  Corners,  N.  Y» 

Saratoga,  N.  Y. 

Mystic 

Hartford 

Hartford 

Bristol 

Farmington 

Plainville 

Berlin 

Kensington 

Meriden 

Meriden 

Middletown 

New  Britain 

New  Britain 

New  Britain 

Newington 

Plantsville 

Rocky  Hill 

Southington 

Wallingford 


Favorable  responses  were  received  and  it  is  believed  that 
all  were  represented  on  the  anniversary  occasion. 

As  the  anniversary  would  come  on  April  19th,  1908,  that 
day  was  selected  for  the  opening  of  the  celebration.  After- 
wards it  was  agreed  that  on  April  18th,  the  preceding  day,  a 
boulder  monument  suitably  inscribed  should  be  dedicated 
with  proper  ceremonies,  upon  the  spot — now  Smalley  Park — 
where  the  first  church  edifice  was  built  by  the  forefathers. 
It  was  also  decided  that  the  celebration  should  extend  over 
Monday  the  20th.  Later  on,  it  being  noted  that  April  19th 
would  be  Easter  Sunday,  the  whole  celebration  was  postponed 
one  week,  and  actually  took  place  April  25,  26,  and  27. 


10 

The  boulder,  a  relic  of  the  glacial  age,  and  weighing  about 
eight  tons,  was  found  upon  a  meadow  nearly  a  mile  away. 
When  placed  in  position  the  boulder  was  faced  with  a  fine 
bronze  tablet,  (the  work  of  P.  &  F.  Corbin,  and  the  gift  of 
President  Charles  H.  Parsons),  bearing  the  following  inscription: 


1758  1908 

On  the  Occasion 

OF  THE 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY 

OF  THE 

FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST 

IN  NEW  BRITAIN  WHICH  WAS  ORGANIZED  APRIL  19.  1758. 

THIS  Monument  is  erected  to  indicate  the 
SPOT  where  stood  the  first  MEETING  HOUSE 

IN  the  parish  of  new  BRITAIN,   AND  WHERE  THE 

Rev.  John  Smalley  D.D.  preached  for  more 
than  fifty  years. 


Rev.  John  Smalley,  D.D. 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES 

SATURDAY  Afternoon 

AT  4  o'clock 

Ceremonies   on  Smalley   Park,   Attending   the   Presentation  of 
Boulder  Monument  to  the  City 

Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier  presiding 
DOXOLOGY 

Invocation  Rev.  G.  Henry  Sandwell 

Hymn    "0  God,  Beneath  Thy  Guiding  Hand."  Leonard  Bacon 
Presentation  of  Monument 

Hon.  Charles  Elliott  Mitchell 
Unveiling  of  Monument 

by  Descendants  of  Dr.  John  Smalley 
Acceptance  of  Monument 

Hon.  George  M.  Landers,  Mayor  of  New  Britain 
Hymn     "  I  Love  Thy  Kingdom,  Lord,"  Timothy  Dwight 

Address  Prof.  David  N.  Camp 

Hymn    "  My  Country,  'Tis  of  Thee,"  S.  F.  Smith 

Benediction  Rev.  John  H.  Denison,  D.D. 

Sunday  Morning 
Communion  Service  10.00 
Historical  Service  10.45 
Organ  Prelude  "  Largo,"  Handel 

DOXOLOGY 

Invocation  Rev.  Henry  W.  Maler 

ANTHEM     "  Festival  Te  Deum  in  E  Flat,"  Dudley  Buck 

Morning  Lesson  Rev.  Alexander  R.  Merriam,  D.D. 

Hymn  695     "  O  Where  Are  Kings  and  Empires  Now  ?  " 
Offertory     "  Offcrtoire  in  A  Flat,"  Edward  Batiste 

Prayer  Rev.  William  Burnet  Wright,  D.D. 


12 

Hymn  651    "  How  Firm  a  Foundation," 

Historical  Address  Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier 

Prayer 

HYMN  320    "  All  Hail  the  Power  of  Jesus'  Name," 

Benediction  Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier 

Organ  Postlude     "March  for  a  Church  Festival,"        Best 

Sunday  Noon 

Sunday  School  Anniversary  Service 

Hymn     "  Brightly  Gleams  Our  Banner," 

Prayer 

Opening  Remarks        E.  Clayton  Goodwin,  Superintendent 

Hymn    "  Little  Drops  of  Water," 

Historical  Address  Mr.  Edward  H.  Davison 

HYMN    "  I  Think  When  I  Read  that  Sweet  Story  of  Old," 

Reminiscences  by  Ex-Superintendents  and  others 

Benediction 

Sunday  Afternoon,  4.45 

Y.  P.  S.  C.  E.  Anniversary,  with  Commemorative 
Addresses  by  Charter  Members 

Sunday  Evening 

AT  7  o'clock 

Organ  Prelude    "  Chorale,"  Kimberger 

Processional    "  The  Church's  One  Foundation," 
HYMN  126    "  O  God,  Our  Help  In  Ages  Past," 

Evening  Lesson  Rev.  J.  H.  Denison,  D.D. 

Prayer  Rev.  G.  Henry  Sandwell 

Offertory    "  The  Lord  is  Mindful  of  His  Own," 

Mendelssohn 
Miss  Grace  Baum 


13 

Address  Rev.  G.  Henry  Sandwell,  London,  England 

Solo    "  Out  of  the  Depths,"  Rogers 

Mr.  Frederick  Hahn 

Address     Rev.  John  H.  Denison,  D.  D.,  WiUiamstown,  Mass. 
Hymn  698    "  A  Mighty  Fortress  is  Our  God," 
Address 

Rev.  Wilham  Burnet  Wright,  D.  D.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Recessional    "  For  All  Thy  Saints  who  from  Their  Labors 

Rest," 
Benediction  Rev.  William  Burnet  Wright,  D.D. 

POSTLUDE     "Priests'  March,"  Mendelssohn 


Monday  Afternoon 

AT  1  o'clock 

Historical  Exhibit  in  Ladies'  Parlor 
Organ  recital 

4.30  TO  5.30 

Howard  E.  Brewer,  Organist 

Program 
Scherzo  Edmond  Lemaigre 

Offertory  in  D  Flat  Theodore  Salome 

Romance  in  D  Flat  Edwin  H.  Lemare 

Toccata  and  Fugue  in  D  Minor  Johann  Sebastian  Bach 


Evening  Star  Song  (Tannhauser) 
Prelude  to  Lohengrin 


Richard  Wagner 


Chanson  Ballade  P.  S.  Bachmann 

Coronation  March  Johan  Svendsen 


14 
MONDAY  Afternoon,  April  27th 

Reception  in  Chapel 

5.30  TO  6.30 

To  former  pastors,  their  families  and   other   invited   guests 

Refreshments  in  Chapel 

6.30  TO  7.30 

Congratulatory  and  Commemorative  Addresses 

8   P.  M. 

Mr.  Howard  Arnold  Walter  First  Church  of  Christ 

Prof.  Bernadotte  Perrin  Yale  University 

Rev.  Watson  Woodruff  South  Church 

Rev.  John  Hopkins  Denison  The  Central  Church,  Boston 

Rev.  J.  H.  Bell,  Ph.  D.  Methodist  Church 
Rev.  M.  S.  Anderson                The  People's  Church  of  Christ 

Rev.  T.  E.  Brown,  D.  D.  Baptist  Church 

Rev.  Harry  I.  Bodley  St.  Mark's  Episcopal  Church 

Music  of  the  Olden  Time 


Saturday  Afternoon 


The  unveiling  of  the  Boulder  Monument  at  Smalley  Park, 
v/hich  signalized  the  opening  of  the  exercises  at  the  one 
hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  will  be  long  remembered  by 
those  present  at  this  impressive  ceremony. 

A  large  gathering  attended  the  exercises  which  were 
presided  over  by  the  Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier,  pastor  of  the 
church. 

An  interesting  feature  of  the  occasion  was  the  unveiling 
of  the  monument  by  descendants  of  the  Rev.  John  Smalley, 
first  pastor  of  the  church.  These  descendants  were  Miss 
Florence  W.  Porter,  daughter  of  Richard  R.  Porter,  and  Miss 
Irene  R.  Porter,  daughter  of  Frank  A.  Porter.  They  represented 
the  fourth  generation  from  Dr.  Smalley;  and  their  grandfather 
Frederick  W.  Porter,  a  great-grandson  of  Dr.  Smalley,  is  the 
oldest  living  descendant  of  the  first  minister.  The  unveiling 
was  accomplished  by  raising,  at  the  proper  time,  a  large  Ameri- 
can flag,  which  until  that  moment  had  overspread  the  boulder. 
Appropriate  hjmns  were  sung  at  convenient  intervals. 

Among  those  present  on  this  occasion  were  three  of  the 
former  ministers  of  the  church — the  only  ones  living — Rev. 
J.  H.  Denison,  D.D.,  of  Williamstown,  Mass.,  Rev.  William 
Burnet  Wright,  D.  D.,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  and  Rev.  G.  Henry 
Sandwell  of  London,  England. 


oA^a.0^^ 


oC 


PRESENTATION  ADDRESS 

BY  HON.  CHARLES  ELLIOTT  MITCHELL 

We  are  assembled  this  April  afternoon  to  take  part  in  a 
significant  ceremony.  We  are  to  unveil  a  boulder  monument 
erected  by  the  First  Church  of  Christ  of  this  city  to  commem- 
orate an  event  which  took  place  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago.  That  event  was  the  erection  here  of  the  first  meeting- 
house for  public  worship  in  the  parish  of  New  Britain.  It  is 
possible  and  indeed  probable  that  the  edifice  stood  a  little 
northwesterly  from  this  precise  spot;  if  so,  it  is  obviously 
impracticable  to  place  a  boulder  there.  By  the  permission  of 
the  city,  however,  we  place  our  boulder  upon  this  elevated 
spot  in  Smalley  Park  where  it  indicates  with  sufficient  accuracy 
the  location  of  the  first  m.eeting-house  of  the  church  which 
plants  the  boulder,  and  the  first  place  of  public  worship  within 
the  limits  of  what  is  now  the  city  of  New  Britain. 

Before  I  say  a  few  words  about  the  meaning  of  this  occasion, 
let  us  think  for  a  moment  of  the  time  and  place  of  the  event 
we  commemorate. 

Go  back  with  me  one  hundred  and  fifty  years.  Take 
your  stand  in  imagination  on  this  highest  spot  in  Smalley  Park. 
It  is  the  year  1758,  nearly  twenty  years  before  the  American 
Revolution.  The  city  of  New  Britain  has  disappeared.  There 
is  no  city,  no  borough,  no  town  of  New  Britain.  We  are  in 
the  southern  portion  of  the  greater  Farmington  of  the  Colonial 
period.  All  about  us  are  fanns  and  forests.  The  society  or 
parish  of  New  Britain  has  just  been  created  by  the  General 
Assembly.  Within  its  limits  are  something  like  forty  scattered 
houses,  a  blacksmith's  shop  or  two,  a  tavern  or  two,  a  tannery, 
and  here  and  there  a  primitive  sawmill  or  a  grist  mill.  This,  if  I 
am  right,  completes  the  picture,  excepting  that  commodious " 
barns  give  a  look  of  moderate  prosperity  to  the  scene  before  us. 
Off  to  the  north  is  a  cluster  of  houses  called  Stanley  Quarter; 
ofl  to  the  south-west  is  Hart  Quarter;  over  toward  the  eaat, 
perhaps  half  a  mile  away,  is  East  Street,  doubtless  entitled 


18 

to  be  called  the  center  of  the  scattered  hamlet,  because  there 
is  the  school  house  where  the  children  gather  and  there  perhaps 
is  a  little  store.  Over  in  the  opposite  direction  from  East 
Street,  over  where  Main  Street  is  one  day  to  be  a  crowded 
thoroughfare  are  three  or  four  isolated  houses.  At  the  time 
of  which  I  am  speaking,  some  of  the  scattered  inhabitants  of 
this  new  ecclesiastical  society  of  New  Britain  have  been  attend- 
ing church  in  Farmington,  some  in  Newington,  and  some  in 
Kensington. 

Where  we  are  standing  is  an  opening  among  the  oaks 
which  the  colonels  and  captains  and  ensigns  of  the  period  call 
"the  parade."  Here  is  where  the  train-band  meets  to  practice 
the  military  art,  and  where  the  soldiers  part  from  their  loved 
ones,  when  to  the  music  of  fife  and  drum  they  march  away  to 
the  Colonial  wars.  For  we  must  remember  that  the  1758  of 
which  we  are  speaking  is  a  military  age.  Four  or  five  years 
ago,  in  the  wilds  of  Pennsylvania,  Braddock  met  his  tragic 
fate  and  Washington  won  his  earliest  laurels,  and  two  or  three 
years  hence.  General  Wolf  is  to  capture  Quebec  and  add  an 
empire  to  the  British  crown.  Before  long  the  Revolutionary 
war  is  to  break  out,  and  the  battle  of  Lexington  will  be  fought 
seventeen  j^ears  to  a  day  after  the  gathering  of  the  church, 
which  worshiped  on  the  spot  where  we  are  standing. 

Connecticut  is  still  an  English  colony  and  Connecticut 
parsons  loyally  pray  for  their  king  beyond  the  ocean.  But 
Connecticut  is  doing  its  own  governing.  From  the  first  Con- 
necticut has  made  its  own  laws  and  enforced  them  by  its  own 
governor,  elected  by  its  own  freemen.  The  right  of  self 
government,  which  the  Royal  Charter  recognizes,  the  stalwart 
sons  of  Connecticut  assert  as  their  own  prerogative  by  the 
grace  of  God. 

The  year  1758  was  just  before  the  beginning  of  what  is 
sometimes  called  the  factory  age.  It  was  the  time  when 
Arkwi'ight  and  Hargreaves  and  Watt  were  busy  in  the  mother 
country  with  those  remarkable  inventions  which  harnessed 
machinery  to  the  forces  of  steam  and  brought  into  existence 
the  factory  system  which  now  fills  the  industrial  world,  and 
means  so  much  to  our  New  Britain.  Nearly  all  articles  of 
personal  and  household  use  were  home-made  and  hand-made. 
It  was  the  age  of  fire-places  and  foot-stoves,  of  swinging  cranes 
and  suspended  kettles,  of  spinning  wheels  and  tallow  dips, 
and,  where  luxury  prevailed,  of  pewter  dishes.     In  this  section 


19 

there  were  no  post  offices  and  no  stage  coaches  and  even  the 
post-boy  had  not  yet  made  his  advent.  Books  were  few,  and 
such  humble  libraries  as  existed  consisted  of  the  Bible  and  a 
few  religious  books.  The  sermon  furnished  the  intellectual 
stimulus  for  a  whole  week  of  healthy  meditation. 

We  must  not  make  the  mistake,  however,  of  associating 
the  event  which  we  commemorate  with  the  early  pioneer 
period  of  our  local  history.  The  year  1758  was  a  century  and 
a  quarter  after  the  settlement  of  Hartford  and  more  than  a 
hundred  years  after  the  organization  of  the  church  in  Farming- 
ton.  In  1686  Major  Seymour,  the  Miles  Standish  of  the 
pioneer  life  of  this  section,  came  over  the  mountain  from 
Farmington  and  down  on  Christian  Lane  erected  a  palisade 
for  protection  against  the  Indians.  A  church  was  formed 
in  1712  composed  of  settlers,  principally  from  Farmington, 
who  bravely  met  the  exigencies  of  life  in  what  they  called  "this 
comer  of  the  wilderness."  This  church  of  the  pioneers  was 
divided  to  form  the  churches  now  worshiping  in  Kensington 
and  on  Berlin  Street.  The  Rev.  William  Bumham  spent  a 
lifetime  in  the  service  of  this  pioneer  church,  which  had  ceased  to 
maintain  worship  at  Christian  Lane  at  the  time  when,  the 
parish  of  New  Britain  having  been  formed,  the  first  meeting- 
house within  its  limits  was  located  here.  W^e  are  to  remember 
therefore  that  not  only  had  the  wild  trees  of  the  original  forests 
been  leveled  to  make  room  for  fertile  farms,  but  that  the 
domestic  trees,  the  apple  trees,  and  the  cherry  trees,  had  grown 
to  full  maturity,  and  had  given  to  this  whole  region  something 
of  the  aspect  of  a  settled  country,  even  as  early  as  1758. 

It  was  in  this  middle  period  between  the  period  of  pioneer 
life  and  the  period  in  which  we  live  that  a  theological  stripling, 
named  John  Smalley,  a  graduate  of  Yale  and  a  student  of  Dr. 
Bellamy,  who  had  been  providentially  directed  to  the  place 
where  he  was  to  enter  upon  his  great  career,  made  this  memo- 
rable entry  upon  the  record  of  the  first  church  planted  in  New 
Britain:  "April  19th,  1758,  a  church  was  gathered  in  the 
parish  of  New  Britain,  John  Smalley  being  ordained  pastor  in 
and  over  same."  It  does  not  fall  to  my  lot  to  dwell  upon  the 
events  that  preceded  the  date  of  this  significant  entry.  It  is 
enough  for  me  to  say  that  when  young  Smalley's  memorandum 
was  penned  in  1758,  the  meeting-house,  although  not  wholly 
finished,  was  ready  for  the  new  church  organization.  In  this 
locality  it  stood —perhaps  a  few  rods  north-westerly  from  the 


20 

precise  spot  where  we  have  been  obliged  to  place  our  boulder 
monument.  In  this  locality  it  stood  at  last,  representing  the 
toils,  the  sacrifices,  and  the  prayers  of  as  remarkable  a  commun- 
ity of  men  and  women,  I  venture  to  say,  as  ever  faced  the 
problems  of  a  frontier  settlement  and  builded  for  God  and  man. 
They  called  their  new  edifice  a  meeting-house,  after  the  man- 
ner of  their  Puritan  ancestors.  As  an  edifice  it  was  unpretentious, 
certainly,  but  to  build  it  they  imposed  upon  themselves 
heavy  taxes,  and  practiced  self-denials  such  as  we  can  per- 
haps imagine  but  which  they  never  complained  of  as  they 
sturdily  and  steadily  pushed  forward  what  to  them  was  a 
tremendous  task. 

How  much  we  owe  Deacon  Andrews  for  his  graphic  des- 
cription of  this  first  meeting-house.  As  we  read  it,  remembering 
that  it  is  the  description  of  one  who  saw  it,  the  building  takes 
shape  and  stands  before  us.  The  long  ridge  pole  extends 
eighty  feet  from  north  to  south;  the  steep  roof  inclines  to  the 
front  and  to  the  rear.  The  double  door  forming  the  principal 
entrance  opens  to  the  east  toward  the  approach  from  Smailey 
Street.  There  is  a  single  door  on  the  north  and  another  on  the 
south .  In  the  interior  is  the  elevated  pulpit  clinging  to  the  western 
wall  with  the  sounding  board  above  it  to  deflect  the  words  of 
the  sermon  down  upon  the  pews.  Two  stairways  lead  up  to 
the  lofty  pulpit,  one  on  either  side.  Even  the  wooden  buttons 
fastening  the  pulpit  doors  are  not  overlooked,  nor  is  that 
ornamental  design,  for  such  it  was  intended  to  be,  upon  the 
pulpit  front.  Below  are  big  box  pews  on  either  side  of  the 
passage  extending  from  the  front  entrance  to  the  pulpit  only 
interrupted  by  the  board  which  swinging  up  and  down  on 
hinges  serves  for  a  communion  table.  We  have  here  no  fancy 
sketch,  for  Deacon  Andrews  united  with  the  church  in  1818, 
which  was  three  years  before  the  first  church  was  dismiantled 
in  1821  to  furnish  some  of  the  timber  from  which  the  second 
church  was  erected  where  the  Burritt  school  now  stands.  It 
was  an  unpretentious  structure  as  I  have  said,  but  how  its 
builders  loved  it,  and  how  they  honored  it,  and  how  they  gath- 
ered within  its  walls  every  Sunday  in  the  year  to  hear  the 
almost  infallible  Dr.  Smailey  discourse  on  their  civil  and  relig- 
ious duties  and  expound  the  law  divine.  It  mattered  little 
that  the  meeting-house  had  no  bell  or  belfry;  no  summons  was 
needed  excepting  that  passion  for  worshiping  God — always  in 
their  own  way  to  be  sure — which  had  made  their  fathers  brave 


21 

the  hostile  seas  and  even  greater  perils  on  hostile  shores.  It 
mattered  not  how  slowly  the  sand  moved  in  the  hour  glass 
which  stood  beside  the  Bible  on  the  pulpit;  it  mattered  not 
how  they  shivered  in  the  frigid  atmosphere  of  the  unheated 
house  in  the  dead  of  winter.  Here  in  the  cold  the  hearers  of 
Dr.  Smalley  sat,  contentedly  and  even  joyfully  imbibing  his 
wisdom  and  profiting  by  his  precepts,  while  at  the  same  time 
sitting  in  judgment  upon  his  sermons  after  the  manner  of  those 
who  have  been  trained  to  give  a  reason  for  the  faith  that 
is  in  them. 

But  I  must  hasten  on;  the  question  inevitably  arises — 
why  celebrate  such  an  event  as  the  building  of  a  meeting- 
house? Why  should  we  erect  a  monument  here  to  keep  in 
the  memory  of  future  generations  the  facts  connected  with  the 
origin  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  Britain,  and  its 
daughter  the  South  Congregational  Church?  Is  it  not  true 
that,  by  the  consent  of  mankind,  only  conspicuous  events  call 
for  monuments?  Undoubtedly  in  order  to  justify  a  monument 
it  must  appear  that  there  are  reasons  for  this  celebration 
which  do  not  lie  upon  the  surface  of  the  transaction  which  we 
joyfully  celebrate. 

In  the  first  place  this  meeting-house  furnished  the  pulpit 
from  which  Dr.  Smalley  preached  for  more  than  fifty  years, 
and  Dr.  Smalley's  ministry  gives  to  the  little  church  where  he 
officiated  a  mighty  title  to  veneration  and  remembrance.  Dr. 
Smalley  was  one  of  the  pulpit  giants  of  the  times  in  which  he 
lived.  His  sermons  exercised  a  formative  force  throughout 
New  England — a  formative  force  which  was  great  while  he 
was  living  and  greater  still  after  his  death.  In  more  ways 
than  we  can  possibly  indicate  his  influence  will  be  felt  in  the 
city  of  New  Britain  long  after  the  events  of  his  life  are,  par- 
tially at  least,  forgotten.  Dr.  Smalley  stood  for  the  approach 
to  religion  on  its  intellectual  as  well  as  its  spiritual  side.  The 
men  whom  he  trained  to  ripeness  in  religious  culture  inevitably 
became  men  of  thought  and  action.  It  is  true  that  the  human 
material  he  wrought  upon  was  remarkable  in  its  character. 
The  men  who  settled  in  Hartford,  and  from  Hartford  settled 
Farmington,  and  from  Farmington  settled  in  this  vicinity  and 
enjoyed  the  ministrations  of  Dr.  Smalley,  possessed  in  remark- 
able degree  the  power  to  create  opportunities,  and  the  power 
to  give  shape  and  direction  to  the  forces  that  influence  mankind. 
It  was  these  men  who,  stimulated  and  steadied  by  Dr.  Smalley's 


22 

stalwart  preaching,  laid  the  foundations  of  New  Britain.  They 
were  a  chosen  people,  those  men  who  came  from  Stanley  Quar- 
ter on  the  north,  and  from  Hart  Quarter  on  the  south-west, 
and  from  Newington  on  the  east,  and  from  Kensington  on  the 
south,  and  united  to  worship  in  the  first  New  Britain  church.  They 
were  descendants  of  men  who  could  not  be  cowed  by  kings  or 
silenced  by  prelates;  to  God  only  would  they  bow  the  knee. 
It  was  Stoughton  who,  speaking  of  the  process  by  which  Eng- 
land had  contributed  to  the  settlement  of  the  colonies  declared — 
"God  sifted  a  whole  nation  that  He  might  send  chosen  grains 
into  the  wilderness."  The  energy  which  was  innate  in  the 
blood  of  this  "sifted"  people  was  wonderfully  enhanced  by  the 
difficulties  which  they  were  compelled  to  conquer,  and  that 
New  Britain — a  city  without  a  single  natural  advantage  and 
rich  only  in  drawbacks  to  prosperity — has  taken  a  leading 
position  in  the  industrial  world  is  due,  more  than  to  any  other 
cause,  to  the  fact  that  there  lived  a  race  of  men  within  its 
borders  who  were  descended  from  Puritan  ancestors  and  who 
demonstrated  that  they  were  worthy  sons  of  worthy  sires  by 
building  the  meeting-house  that  fronted  upon  this  "parade" 
and  by  worshiping  their  father's  God  within  its  walls. 

I  do  not  under-rate  the  other  influences  which  have  con- 
tributed to  the  growth  and  achievements  of  our  honored  city. 
A  city  is  like  a  river  whose  abundant  flow  is  due  to  the  con- 
tributions of  a  thousand  tributaries  descending  from  a  thousand 
hillsides,  and  New  Britain  is  no  exception  to  the  rule,  but 
when  I  think  of  the  contributions  of  Dr.  Smalley,  and 
of  the  Norths,  and  the  Stanleys,  and  the  Harts,  and  the  Lees, 
and  the  Judds,  and  the  Smiths,  and  the  other  families  that 
might  be  mentioned,  who  gathered  here  from  Sunday  to 
Sunday  during  the  formative  period  of  our  city's  history,  and 
who  worshiped  later  on  in  the  successive  churches  of  the  same 
faith  and  polity,  I  cannot  doubt  that  the  greatest  single 
influence  for  good  in  the  life  of  our  city  has  been  that  for  which 
the  first  meeting-house  stood  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  years. 
It  is  certainly  remarkable  that  the  men  who  are  now  the 
presidents  of  several  of  our  large  industrial  concerns,  and 
the  vice-presidents  of  others,  are  descendants  of  the  men 
and  women  who  habitually  heard  Dr.  Smalley  preach, 
while  the  names  of  many  of  our  large  corporations  truthfully 
testify  to  the  same  origin.  Indeed  it  is  probably  safe  to  say 
that  every  large  industrial  company  which  has  become  per- 


23 

manently  established  in  New  Britain  has  had  the  benefit,  in 
a  greater  or  less  degree,  of  the  originative  and  managing 
capacity  of  the  men,  and  the  sons  of  the  men,  who  worshiped 
where  we  are  standing. 

Therefore,  Mr.  Mayor,  I  feel  that  I  am  doing  a  most 
appropriate  thing,  when,  in  the  presence  of  this  great  concourse 
of  men  and  women,  on  this  April  afternoon,  speaking  in  the  name 
of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  I  commit  the  care  and  custody 
of  this  memorial  monument  to  the  city  fathers  for  all  coming 
time.  Here  on  Smalley  Park,  one  day  to  become  an  ornament 
to  the  city,  may  this  boulder  monument  tell  to  successive  gen- 
erations the  story  of  the  noble  men  and  women  who  founded 
our  loved  New  Britain. 


ADDRESS  OF  ACCEPTANCE 

BY  HON.  GEORGE  M.  LANDERS,  MAYOR 

There  can  be  no  more  certain  evidence  of  the  spirit  of 
pride  in  the  growth  of  our  city,  and  of  its  institutions,  than  that 
which  seeks  to  mark  with  permanent  memorials,  the  historical 
stepping  stones  of  the  progress,  successively,  of  the  hamlet, 
village,  town  and  city  of  New  Britain. 

In  offering  the  Fu-st  Ecclesiastical  Society  the  thanks 
of  the  city,  and  taking  over  your  memorial,  with  its  beautiful 
tablet,  I  wish  to  express  the  hope  that  your  example  may  be 
followed  by  other  societies  and  individuals,  so  that  the  old 
landmarks  of  interest  in  early  New  Britain  may  be  definitely 
recorded  for  the  generations  which  are  to  follow  us. 

I  speak  to-day  for  the  new  New  Britain,  our  cosmopoli- 
tan city.  What  would  the  Rev.  Newton  Skinner  say  if  he 
knew  that  near  the  very  spot  where  stood  his  church,  there  is 
to-day  a  school  in  which  the  children  of  over  thirty  nationalities 
are  paving  the  way  to  become  good  citizens  of  our  common- 
wealth? So  the  fabric  of  our  society  changes,  and  as  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  original  families  in  your  society,  I  am  gratified 
that  it  should  fall  to  me  to  do  my  share  in  helping  to  amal- 
gamate the  various  elements  in  our  community  into  a  harmoni- 
ous body  of  people,  who  shall  love  the  flag  which  floats  above 
us  no  less  than  we  ourselves  do,  and  I  say  to  you  respectfully, 
as  one  of  the  younger  generation  should,  that  the  spirit  which 
has  steadily  moved  forward  the  flag  of  the  city  of  New  Britain 
commercially  and  socially,  is  growing  stronger  every  day, 
throughout  our  city,  and  that  we  shall  shoulder  with  all  the 
strength  and  devotion  we  can  summon,  any  duties  that  may 
come  to  us  to  perform. 

I  congratulate  the  First  Ecclesiastical  Society  upon  attain- 
ing its  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary,  and  upon  the 
attendance  here  of  its  former  pastors,  to  whom  this  occasion 
means  so  much. 


Hon.  Gkokck  M.  Landers. 


HISTORICAL  ADDRESS 

BY  PROFESSOR  DAVID  N.  CAMP 

Meeting  here  on  historic  ground,  made  memorable  by 
the  self-denial  and  heroism  of  men  whose  thought  and  action 
rendered  it  historic,  we  naturally  inquire,  what  were  the 
causes,  and  who  were  the  men,  that  gave  to  this  place  special 
significance.  The  ruling  impulse  which  led  to  the  planting 
of  the  Connecticut  and  New  Haven  colonies  was  not  pecuniary 
gain,  or  enlargement  of  dominion. 

It  was  rather  to  seek  opportunity  for  freedom  to  worship 
God,  and  to  exercise  liberty  of  conscience. 

Yet  in  the  location  of  the  early  settlements  consideration 
was  given  to  the  natural  advantages. 

The  early  settlements  were  on  navigable  waters,  either 
of  the  river,  or  sound. 

The  first  exception  to  that  policy  was  the  settlement  of 
Farmington  in  1640. 

It  may  seem  singular  if  not  surprising,  that  in  less 
than  five  years  after  the  first  settlements  had  been  made  in 
Connecticut,  venturesome  spirits  had  blazed  their  way  through 
the  woods  and  over  the  mountain,  ten  miles  distant,  to  form 
a  new  settlement. 

The  group  of  men  who  became  personally  interested  in 
this  new  venture,  included  a  number  of  persons  distinguished 
for  intelligence,  character  and  official  position. 

Among  them  were  the  Governors,  Haynes,  Hopkins, 
Welles  and  Webster,  all  the  governors  of  the  colony  for  the 
first  sixteen  years  except  Wyllys;  and  his  son,  the  son-in-law 
of  Governor  Haynes,  was  one  of  the  number;  also  the  two 
colonial  secretaries  and  two  of  the  treasurers;  Stephen  Hart, 
the  deacon  of  Mr.  Hooker's  church  in  Cambridge,  and  then 
in  Hartford,  and  others  distinguished  for  their  intelligence 
and  public  spirit. 

The  pastors  of  the  Farmington  church  were  first,  the 
.son-in-law  and  then  the  son  of  Thomas  Hooker,  who  for  nearly 


26 

fifty  years,  were  the  religious  teachers  of  this  new  town.  They 
must  have  brought  much  of  the  spirit  and  purpose  of  Thomas 
Hooker,  to  be  infused  into  the  thought  and  character  of  this 
society  and  church. 

The  Farmington  church  had  thus  in  its  membership  a 
large  proportion  of  men  of  sterling  character,  who  not  only 
left  their  impress  upon  that  age,  but  so  lived  that  it  was 
transmitted  to  generations  following. 

The  influence  of  these  men,  bound  together  by  a  common 
faith,  and  threatened  by  common  dangers,  both  from  wild 
beasts  and  savage  Indians,  was  pre-eminently  manifested  in 
the  enterprise  of  their  descendants. 

The  lines  were  extended,  on  the  north  to  Avon,  on  the 
west  to  Bristol,  and  on  the  south  to  Southington,  and  Great 
Swamp,  or  Kensington,  and  in  each  of  these  places  a  church 
was  established  before  either  church  or  society  existed  in  New 
Britain. 

Yet  the  growth  of  Farmington  was  at  first  slow.  Fifteen 
years  after  its  settlement  it  had  but  forty-six  ratable  persons, 
while  Hartford  at  the  same  time  had  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
seven,  or  nearly  four  times  as  many. 

The  impulse  imparted  by  the  enterprise  of  its  first  set- 
tlers was  felt  later,  and  in  1756,  the  year  that  the  meeting-house 
on  this  site  was  first  occupied,  and  the  first  census  of  the  colony 
was  taken,  the  population  of  Farmington  exceeded  that  of 
Hartford  by  nearly  seven  hundred,  and  twenty  years  later  it 
had  become  the  largest  town  in  the  Connecticut  colony,  and 
one  of  the  most  important. 

The  enterprise  which  had  led  to  the  settlement  of  the 
places  to  the  north  and  west,  could  not  overlook  the  opportun- 
ity presented  on  the  south-eastern  border  of  Farmington,  at 
Great  Swamp.  A  large  tract  of  land,  at  that  place,  bj^^  grants 
to  officers  of  the  general  court  and  others,  had  come  into  the 
hands  of  Andrew  Belcher,  a  wealthy  Boston  merchant,  who 
offered  favorable  terms  of  settlement.  "Wethersfield  had 
already  secured  a  settlement  at  Beckley  Quarter  and  on  the 
eastern  borders  of  Farmington.  Middletown  was  comung 
near  on  the  south-east,  and  it  was  rumored  that  Meriden,  then 
a  part  of  Wallingford,  was  also  considering  a  settlem.ent  near. 

The  town  of  Farmington,  ever  watchful  of  its  interests, 
voted  a  bounty  to  Richard  Seymour,  who  with  others,  began 
a  settlement  at  Christian  Lane,  near  the  present  southern 
boundary  of  New  Britain,  in  1687. 


27 

Special  inducements  made  by  Belcher  and  the  town  of 
Farmington,  and  liberal  grants  by  the  general  court,  led  to 
the  rapid  settlement  of  this  hamlet,  so  that  in  less  than  twenty 
years  after  the  first  house  was  built,  the  general  court  had 
granted  permission  for  a  new  and  separate  ministerial  society. 

The  society  was  organized,  and  a  meeting-house  built 
and  a  church  formed,  a  few  years  later.  This  was  the  first 
church  formed  from  the  church  at  Farmington,  and  the  place 
had  apparently  rapid  growth  for  that  age. 

The  inhabitants  of  Farmington  had  extended  their 
settlement  over  the  mountain,  in  one  direction  to  Stanley 
Quarter,  and  in  another  along  the  east  side  of  Farmington 
mountain,  as  far  south  as  Hart  Quarter. 

In  the  meantime,  the  enterprising  people  of  Great 
Swamp  had  enlarged  their  settlement  northerly  on  East  Street, 
as  far  as  its  present  intersection  of  Smalley  Street,  and  a  few 
families  from  Wethersfield  had  settled  further  north  on,  or 
near,  this  street. 

There  were  thus  three  hamlets,  or  clusters  of  farm  houses, 
within  the  present  limits  of  New  Britain,  Stanley  Quarter, 
East  Street  and  Hart  Quarter. 

Some  of  the  residents  of  these  hamlets  still  belonged  to 
the  churches  at  Farmington  and  Newington,  or  West  Wethers- 
field. But  the  greater  part  were  connected  with  the  church 
and  society  at  Great  Swamp,  or  Kensington. 

The  society  at  Great  Swamp  was  organized  in  1705, 
the  church  in  1712,  when  a  minister,  Rev.  Wm.  Burnham,  was 
installed,  and  the  meeting-house  at  Christian  Lane  was  so 
far  completed  as  to  be  occupied  the  same  year.  The  pulpit 
was  not  built  until  two  years  later,  and  it  was  eight  years 
before  the  galleries  were  built  and  the  meeting-house  com- 
pleted. 

The  growth  of  the  parish  in  a  few  years  demanded  a 
larger  house,  and,  after  much  strife  and  perplexity,  one  was 
erected  by  the  order  of  the  General  Assembly,  located  at  a 
much  greater  distance  from  the  residents  in  this  part  of  the 
parish  than  the  first  meeting-house. 

In  1739,  twenty-six  persons  petitioned  the  General 
Assembly  for  permission  "to  meet  at  some  convenient  place, 
for  four  months,  to  attend  the  public  worship  of  God." 

The  petition  was  not  granted,  and  the  people  on  East 
Street  and  vicinity  still  continued  their  relations  with  the 
Kensington  church. 


28 

The  situation  was  neither  pleasant  nor  peaceful;  dissen- 
sions occurred  both  in  church  and  society,  but  the  residents 
of  the  north  part  of  the  society  paid  their  dues  regularly  and 
discharged  their  other  obligations  promptly  until  the  General 
Assembly,  in  1754,  created  a  new  Ecclesiastical  society,  to 
be  known  by  the  name  of  New  Britain.  The  act  provided  that 
this  new  society  should  have  all  the  powers  and  privileges 
that  other  Ecclesiastical  societies  had  in  the  colony.  Before 
the  incorporation  of  this  new  society,  there  appears  to  have 
been  no  significant  name  for  the  entire  territory  included  by 
this  act. 

The  three  hamlets,  Stanley  Quarter,  Hart  Quarter  and 
East  Street,  had  their  significant  names  and  local  associations. 

There  were  in  each  hamlet  a  tavern,  a  blacksmith's  shop; 
in  two  of  them  mills,  and  in  one  a  store,  at  first  occupying  a 
small  room  in  a  dwelling-house. 

The  entire  population  of  New  Britain  at  that  time  was 
less  than  three  hundred. 

Let  us  notice  a  few  of  the  prominent  men  then  living 
in  the  place. 

Deacon  Anthony  Judd  and  Stephen  Lee,  two  of  the  most 
prominent  members  of  the  Kensington  church,  and  among 
the  leaders  in  efforts  to  secure  the  new  society,  both  died  before 
the  society  was  incorporated,  but  their  descendants  were 
active  in  its  organization. 

Benjamin  Judd  at  the  age  of  eighty-three,  the  patriarch 
of  the  parish,  was  living  on  East  Street,  at  the  north  end  of 
the  Great  Swamp  society.  His  son,  James  Judd,  aged  thirty- 
seven,  was  living  with  his  father,  and  running  Judd's  mills. 
Uriah,  an  older  brother  of  James,  aged  forty-one,  was  living 
at  the  corner  of  East  Main  and  Stanley  Streets,  while  a  younger 
brother,  Nathan,  aged  thirty-five,  had  his  home  at  the  corner 
of  East  Main  and  East  Streets. 

On  East  Street,  at  some  distance  north  of  Benjamin 
Judd's,  Major  John  Paterson,  the  first  deacon  of  the  First 
Church,  had  his  home,  near  the  present  railway  crossing  at 
East  Street.  He  was  forty-six  years  old,  a  military  man,  but 
an  extensive  farmer,  and  active  in  the  organization  of  the  new 
society.  He  was  from  the  West  Wethersfield,  or  Newington 
church. 

The  widow  of  Capt.  Stephen  Lee  was  living  at  the  Lee 
homestead  at  the  comer  of  Smalley  and  East  Streets.  Her 
youngest  son,  Josiah  Lee,  was  living  in  the  same  house. 


29 

An  older  son,  Dr.  Isaac  Lee,  was  then  living  in  Middle- 
town,  but  afterwards  removed  to  New  Britain. 

Further  south  on  East  Street,  Ladwick  Hotchkiss,  aged 
thirty-one,  a  blacksmith,  had  his  shop  and  house.  Near  him 
were  Joseph  Smith,  senior,  seventy- two  years  old,  and  Joseph 
Smith,  junior,  who  kept  a  tavern. 

This  part  of  East  Street,  from  Major  Paterson's  home 
to  the  Smiths',  was,  at  that  time,  the  most  important  center 
of  social  influence  in  the  society.  Here  were  the  principal 
tavern,  the  first  store  within  the  limits  of  the  society  and  the 
residence  of  the  minister  when  settled. 

The  first  religious  services  and  most  of  the  early  society 
meetings  and  social  gatherings  were  on  this  street.  There 
were  a  few  persons  living  further  south  on  East  Street,  and 
there  were  two  or  three  houses,  Deacon  Judd's  and  Daniel 
Dewey's  at  the  south  end  of  Stanley  Street. 

Three  of  the  more  prominent  persons  of  Stanley  Quarter, 
Thomas  Stanley,  Daniel  Hart  and  John  Clark,  with  their 
farms,  w^ere  not  included  when  the  society  was  incorporated, 
but  their  descendants  became  members  a  few  years  later. 

Noah  Stanley,  at  the  age  of  thirty,  and  Timothy,  three 
years  younger,  were  then  living  in  Stanley  Quarter,  the  former 
keeping  a  tavern.     Both  became  members  of  the  new  society. 

Judah  Hart  and  Elijah  Hart,  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
each  with  large  families,  were  the  leading  representatives  of 
Hart  Quarter,  and  Moses  Andrews  was  living  on  West  Main 
Street,  a  mile  west  of  the  post  office. 

At  the  time  the  people  of  East  Street  were  first  petition- 
ing for  permission  to  have  religious  services  on  that  street, 
there  was  no  one  living  at,  or  near,  the  present  business  center 
of  New  Britain. 

The  surface  of  this  part  of  the  place  was  broken  and  very 
uneven.  Ledges  of  trap  rock  and  swamps  and  forests  covered 
a  large  portion  of  the  territory,  and  it  was  evidently  considered 
unattractive  for  residences,  or  cultivation. 

The  nearest  house  to  the  present  site  of  the  First  Church 
was  probably  Uriah  Judd's,  at  the  corner  of  Ea.st  Main  and 
Stanley  Streets. 

About  1746,  nearly  sixty  years  after  the  first  settlement 
of  Great  Swamp  and  Ejist  Street,  Nathan  B(Joth,  then  about 
twenty-five  years  old,  came  from  the  (Jreat  Swamp  parish, 
made  a  clearing  and  built  his  house  where  the  South  Church 


30 

now  stands.  Soon  after,  Joshua  Mather,  the  brother-in-law 
of  Booth,  came  from  Windsor,  and  made  his  home  near  the 
present  intersection  of  Main,  Elm  and  Park  Streets. 

About  the  same  time,  John  Judd,  a  son  of  Deacon 
Anthony  Judd  of  South  Stanley  Street,  located  on  West  Main 
Street,  near  the  corner  of  Washington  Street.  He  was  three 
years  older  than  Nathan  Booth,  and  had  married  Mary  Bum- 
ham,  daughter  of  the  first  minister  at  Great  Swamp. 

At  this  time  Capt.  Stephen  Lee,  leader  of  the  company 
that  was  petitioning  for  the  privilege  of  a  separate  place  of 
worship,  and  finally  of  a  separate  society,  was  living  at  his 
home  on  East  Street.  He  had  a  large  farm  extending  from 
East  Street  to  Main  Street.  A  considerable  portion  of  this  farm 
came  into  possession  of  his  eldest  son.  Dr.  Isaac  Lee,  and  on  the 
western  end  of  the  Lee  farm,  a  house  was  erected  for  Colonel 
Isaac  Lee,  the  son  of  Dr.  Isaac. 

At  the  time  the  Ecclesiastical  Society  of  New  Britain 
was  incorporated  these  four  famiUes,  viz:  those  of  Booth, 
Mather,  Judd  and  Lee,  were  the  only  residents  of  what  is 
now  the  business  center  of  New  Britain.  They  were  all 
farmers,  though  two  of  them  afterwards  had  blacksmith's 

shops. 

While  the  first  efforts  for  a  separate  organization  were 
confined  almost  exclusively  to  East  Street,  the  residents  of 
the  center,  and  a  portion  of  those  in  Hart  Quarter  and  Stanley 
Quarter,  united  with  those  of  East  Street  in  the  later  efforts, 
and  when  the  society  was  incorporated,  all  these  settlements 
were  included  in  the  act. 

Thus  at  the  May  session  of  the  General  Asssembly  of 
the  Colony  of  Connecticut  in  1754,  the  New  Britain  Ecclesi- 
astical Society  was  incorporated. 

There  was  then  no  place  of  public  resort  except  the 
taverns  and  blacksmith's  shops.  There  was  no  post  office, 
letters  being  received  at  Hartford,  or  Farmington,  and  the 
only  school  building  was  a  small  browTi  house  at  the  south 
end  of  East  Street,  in  what  had  been  the  north  squaddam 
or  school  district  of  Great  Swamp. 

The  society  is  incorporated  and  proceeds  to  do  business. 

At  its  first  meeting  on  June  13,  1754,  it  appointed  the 
requisite  officers  and  voted  that  it  was  necessary  for  the  inhabi- 
tants of  this  society  to  build  a  meeting-house  for  religious 
worship. 


31 

Josiah  Kilboum  and  Elijah  Hart  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  apply  to  the  county  court  to  fix  a  site.  We  see  the 
wisdom  and  sagacity  of  the  society  in  these  votes. 

The  Great  Swamp,  or  Kensington  society,  had  for  years 
been  disturbed  by  the  unseemly  strife  about  the  location  of 
the  meeting-house.  The  New  Britain  society  would  avoid 
strife  and  apparently  without  mentioning,  or  suggesting  a  site, 
referred  the  whole  matter  to  the  county  court.  And  then 
appointed  as  a  committee,  to  secure  a  site,  two  men  far  removed 
from  the  probable  location,  one  from  Hart  Quarter  and  one 
from  Stanley  Quarter. 

The  court  sent  out  a  surveyor  who  determined  the  center 
of  the  society  and  the  committee  of  the  court  drove  the  stakes 
for  the  location  of  the  meeting-house  on  the  Lee  farm  near 
the  parade  ground. 

At  that  time,  there  were  no  convenient  roads  for  reach- 
ing the  site  and  the  society  petitioned  the  county  court  and 
the  town  of  Farmington  to  lay  out  suitable  highways. 

Benjamin  Judd  deeded  one  piece.  Dr.  Isaac  Lee  three 
pieces,  and  Josiah  Lee  one  piece.  In  due  time  roads  were 
built,  providing  access  to  the  meeting-house.  The  vote  of 
the  society  to  build  a  meeting-house  was  passed  at  a  society 
meeting  held  December  16,  1754.  This  was  an  adjourned 
meeting,  held  first  at  the  house  of  William  Paterson  on  East 
Street,  and  then  adjourned  to  the  house  of  Uriah  Judd,  that 
the  members  of  the  society  might  view  the  site. 

After  going  to  the  location  and  examining  the  site,  and 
the  meeting  had  been  re-opened  at  the  house  of  Uriah  Judd, 
it  was  voted  to  build  a  meeting-house  for  religious  worship  at 
the  place  "where  the  county  court  have  affixed  the  stakes  in 
this  society." 

It  was  this  act  of  the  new  society  and  its  resultant  conse- 
quences which  you  celebrate  to-day.  The  site  for  the  meeting- 
house was  near  a  rocky  ridge  in  a  piece  of  woods  away  from 
any  public  road,  but  in  the  center  of  the  society,  as  determined 
by  the  surveyor  and  the  committee  of  the  county  court. 

The  members  of  the  society  had  recently  been  heavily 
taxed  to  pay  for  the  Kensington  meeting-house,  but  with 
exemplary  courage  they  proceeded  at  once  to  the  erection  of 
the  meeting-house  on  this  site. 

The  house  was  raised  in  October,  1755.  The  floor  was 
laid  in  the  spring  of  1756.     Temporary  benches  were  provided 


82 

and  services  held  in  the  new  meeting-house  during  the  summer 
of  1756.  The  first  society  meeting  was  held  in  the  meeting- 
house May  11,  1756,  soon  after  the  floor  was  laid.  The 
church  was  organized  April  19,  1758,  and  John  Smalley  was 
ordained  pastor  at  the  same  time. 

In  1759,  one  committee  was  appointed  "to  procure  boards 
and  other  stuff  for  the  meeting-house,"  and  another  committee 
"to  underpin"  it. 

In  1762,  a  committee  "was  appointed  to  finish  the  lower 
part  of  the  meeting-house  and  pulpit  and  ye  galery  floors  and 
ye  front  around  ye  galery  the  coming  summer." 

The  work  went  forward  slowly.  It  was  difficult  to 
raise  the  necessary  funds;  notes  were  given  and  were  paid  with 
diJKculty  when  due. 

In  1763,  at  a  meeting  in  which  provision  was  made  for 
paying  interest  on  the  notes,  a  vote  was  passed  to  pay  certain 
persons  "for  their  charge  of  serving  and  being  served." 

In  1764,  ten  years  from  the  organization  of  the  society 
and  only  eight  from  the  occupation  of  the  house,  the  prudential 
committee  were  directed  to  repair  the  meeting-house  and  in 
1767  springs  were  ordered  for  the  windows. 

In  1769,  the  society  appointed  a  special  committee  "to 
finish  the  unfinished  work  of  the  meeting-house,  plastering 
the  walls  and  overhead,"  so  that  fifteen  years  after  the  society 
was  organized  and  fourteen  after  the  site  was  fixed  and  the 
house  commenced,  this  plain,  but  substantial  meeting-house 
was  finished. 

The  men  who  had  borne  the  burdens  and  transacted  the 
business  of  this  society  during  these  fifteen  years,  were  capable 
of  endurance  and  many  of  them  were  physically  strong. 

They  were  firm  in  their  belief,  receiving  the  Bible  as  the 
revealed  word  of  God  without  question. 

They  laid  carefully  the  foundations  of  society,  both  in 
church  and  state,  and  made  possible  the  transformation  of 
the  small  farming  community  of  a  few  hundred,  into  a  busy 
city  of  tens  of  thousands.  By  marking  this  place  of  their 
early  regard,  we  honor  their  memory. 


Sunday 


The  stately  edifice  with  the  handsome  Colonial  interior 
was  elaborately  decorated  for  the  occasion.  The  pulpit  plat- 
form was  banked  with  immense  palms,  while  just  in  front  of 
it,  at  the  left,  was  massed  a  large  bank  of  lillies.  To  the  right 
were  arranged  more  potted  plants.  These  plants  and  flowers 
came,  for  the  most  part,  from  the  greenhouse  of  Hon.  Andrew 
J.  Sloper  of  the  Baptist  Church,  who  very  kindly  loaned  them 
for  the  occasion.  A  life  sized  picture  of  Dr.  Smalley  was 
displayed  at  the  right  of  the  pulpit.  On  the  vestibule  wall 
facing  the  main  entrance  of  the  church  were  two  large  shields, 
one  of  them  bearing  the  figures  1758  and  the  other  the  figures 
1908,  both  dates  in  ornamental  lettering.  Distributed  through- 
out the  pews  were  copies  of  an  artistic  brochure  prepared  for 
the  celebration  giving  the  order  of  exercises  for  each  day. 

The  church  was  crowded,  the  galleries  as  well  as  the  audi- 
torium being  filled  with  an  attentive  and  greatly  interested 
audience. 


Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier. 


HISTORICAL  ADDRESS 

BY  REV.  HENRY  W.  MAIER 

The  genesis  of  the  New  England  churches  in  general,  and 
of  this  church  in  particular,  is  somewhere  in  the  first  century 
and  had  to  do  with  the  acts  and  works  of  certain  men  called 
apostles.  The  problems  with  which  they  had  to  do  requh-ed 
the  organization  of  churches  and  it  is  evident  in  the  records 
of  those  who  have  written  Congregational  history  that  they 
formed  their  churches  on  Congregational  lines.  Proof  of  this 
can  be  found  in  any  history  of  Congregationalism.. 

The  more  immediate  causes  that  had  to  do  with  the 
forming  of  the  New  England  churches  may  be  found  in  the 
body  of  people  who  conceived  the  idea  that  the  Church  of 
England  needed  to  be  reformed  or  was  beyond  reforming  and 
these  persons  were  indiscreet  enough  to  let  their  ideas  be 
knowTi.  The  Church  of  England  through  its  religious  authori- 
ties did  not  seem  to  desire  a  reformation,  and  so  indicated  to 
this  group  of  persons  with  the  added  information  that  they 
preferred  their  room  to  their  company.  And  many  of  the 
companions  of  these  who  came  here  were  maltreated  by  the 
English  authorities.  Such  a  hint,  given  not  exactly  as  a  hint, 
was  taken  and  the  little  company  left  the  shores  of  England 
and  stopped  for  a  season  in  the  little  republic  of  Holland; 
afterwards  setting  sail,  they  came  to  the  great  unknown  wilder- 
ness of  the  new  continent. 

We  wonder  at  times  concerning  the  power  that  impelled 
them  in  this  move.  It  is  said  that  all  men  have  religious 
instincts,  but  it  is  well  known  that  this  religious  instinct  does 
not  move  all  men  to  make  sacrifices  for  the  sake  of  their  relig- 
ious belief.  Hence  we  naturally  ask  what  is  the  difference 
between  a  religious  instinct  and  the  religious  force  oper- 
ting  within  the  soul  of  man.  This  religious  instinct  becomes 
religious  force  when  the  life  comes  into  vital  touch  with  the 
life  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


36 

The  effect  of  that  contact  gives  what  we  may  call  the 
impelling  force  to  the  religious  instinct.  The  history  of  that 
impelling  force  of  religion  is  the  history  of  the  New  England 
churches.  Included  in  this,  is  our  First  Church  in  New  Britain 
and  it  is  to  trace  the  record  of  the  operation  of  that  impelling 
force  that  we  are  gathered  together  this  day.  It  was  that  that 
led  the  early  Pilgrims  to  seek  refuge  first  in  Holland  and  then 
in  the  unwelcoming  shores  of  New  England.  It  could  not 
have  been  for  social  purposes  for  they  broke  the  dearest  social 
ties  that  men  know.  It  could  not  have  been  for  worldly  gain, 
for  they  had  no  idea  that  they  were  making  history  or  that 
they  were  attaining  to  the  richest  treasures  of  material  things 
which  the  world  possesses.  But  forced  by  that  religious  energy 
within  them  they  sought  the  inhospitable  shores  of  New 
England  for  the  sake  of  worshiping  God  according  to  the 
dictates  of  their  own  conscience.  This  is  the  explanation  of 
the  sacrifice  made  by  those  early  settlers  in  behalf  of  religion. 
When  they  could  afford  nothing  else  they  felt  that  they  could 
ill  afford  to  go  without  religious  instruction.  In  places  of 
danger,  through  tracts  of  wilderness,  in  the  face  of  physical 
difficulties  and  with  untiring  energy,  those  men  from  Sabbath 
to  Sabbath  gathered  together  in  rude  and  crude  meeting- 
houses, unheated  in  winter  except  with  the  fire  of  their  own 
devotion,  and  there  expressed  their  love  for  the  Supreme  and 
His  Son. 

They  met  in  common  worship  in  rude  houses  that  they 
had  built.  It  was  this  impelling  religious  force  that  led  the 
people  of  the  community  for  a  long  time  to  carry  their  children 
on  their  backs  and  with  guns  in  their  hands  to  walk  from  six 
to  nine  miles  to  attend  the  public  services  at  the  church  at 
Farmington.  This  brings  us  to  the  first  ecclesiastical  relations 
of  the  people  of  this  district  which  were  with  the  church  at 
Farmington,  then  a  place  of  great  importance,  although  not 
being  then  designated  as  Dr.  van  Dyke  now  designates  it,  a 
place  of  "aristocratic  recollections." 

In  1705  the  Kensington  or  Great  Swamp  society  was 
formed.  It  included  most  of  the  district  that  is  now  known 
as  New  Britain  and  there  for  fifty  years  the  people  of  this 
community  worshiped.  Difficulties  concerning  the  location 
of  a  new  church  in  the  Great  Swamp  district  ended  in  locating 
the  church  a  mile  farther  away  from  this  community  than  the 
old  church  had  been.     This  led  the  men  of  the  northern  part 


37 

of  the  district  to  agitate  the  question  of  forming  a  new  Eccles- 
iastical society  and  as  early  as  1739  they  petitioned  the  General 
Assembly  for  a  new  organization.  The  petition  was  not 
granted  then,  but  was  renewed  from  time  to  time  until  1754, 
when  it  was  granted.  Immediately  measures  were  taken  by 
the  forty  or  more  families  residing  within  the  district  to  erect 
a  meeting-house  which  was  ready  for  use  as  early  as  1756. 
Thus  this  religious  impelling  force  acted  once  more  upon  the 
hearts  of  the  people  and  caused  them  to  give  self  sacrificingly 
of  their  means  for  a  more  convenient  place  of  worship  and  in 
the  spirit  of  that  forceful  and  heartful  instinctive  the  First 
Church  of  New  Britain  was  formed. 

One  feels  constrained  to  call  attention  to  the  character 
of  the  men  who  in  this  wilderness  organized  this  church.  They 
were  physically  strong  men,  of  strong  faith  and  of  intense  con- 
victions. They  were  men  who  believed  fundamentally  in 
freedom  of  conscience  and  who  for  that  belief  had  sacrificed 
much  of  what  men  hold  dear  in  this  life.  They  were  men  who 
believed  in  the  religious  need  of  man,  and  one  can  hardly  read 
their  different  petitions  to  the  General  Assembly  of  Connect- 
icut without  being  impressed  with  the  consciousness  that  they 
had  of  their  need  of  worship  and  of  their  need  of  assembling 
themselves  together  for  religious  instruction.  They  were  also 
deeply  concerned  about  their  children's  religious  welfare. 

There  now  happened  one  of  the  most  important  events 
in  the  history  of  the  church.  It  was  the  calling  of  the  first 
pastor.  Extremely  fortunate  was  the  church  in  the  man  whom 
it  obtained  and  without  in  any  way  reflecting  upon  the  char- 
acter or  attainments  of  those  who  thought  best  not  to  accept 
the  call  of  this  church,  it  can  be  said  that  it  was  fortunate 
that  they  did  not  accept  and  thus  left  the  field  open  for  him 
who  did  become  the  first  pastor,  the  Rev.  John  Smalley.  It  is 
hard  for  us  of  this  generation  who  look  upon  this  church  with 
its  great  membership,  its  fine  equipment,  its  strong  men  and 
women  eager  to  do  the  will  of  the  Lord,  who  recognize  it  as 
one  of  the  desirable  churches  in  the  Congregational  communion, 
it  is  hard  I  say  for  us  to  think  that  there  was  a  time  when  a 
call  to  this  church  was  not  considered  a  desirable  call,  for  it 
meant  material  sacrifice  and  that  great  hardship  must  be 
endured  by  him  who  took  up  the  burden  of  its  leadership. 
Such  was  the  case  at  the  beginning  and  such  it  continued  for 
many  years.     Dr.  Smalley  faced  these  problems  and  difficulties 


38 

with  energy  and  faith  and  with  deep  and  sound  conviction  that 
he  was  here  placed  where  the  Lord  wanted  him. 

While  we  cannot  afford  to  extol  the  virtues  of  all  the 
ministers  who  have  faithfully  served  this  church,  for  this 
church  has  been  extremely  fortunate  in  the  character  of  the 
men  that  have  ruled  over  it,  yet  we  do  feel  that  something 
ought  to  be  said  in  regard  to  him  who  for  fifty-two  years  guided 
this  people,  and  who  for  ten  more  years  was  known  as  its  pastor 
emeritus.  Dr.  Smalley  was  a  striking  looking  man  in  personal 
appearance.  He  was  tall  and  athletic,  with  a  rather  severe 
countenance  and  with  a  piercing  eye.  His  whole  make-up 
fitted  him  to  be  a  theologian  of  the  old  school  and  this  he 
eminently  was.  He  was  by  nature  an  investigator.  Every 
theological  view  had  to  pass  through  the  crucible  of  his  mind 
before  he  would  permit  it  place  in  his  theology.  He  was  a 
great  preacher,  although  he  was  not  a  popular  preacher.  His 
preaching  was  described  as  being  doctrinal,  intellectual  and 
evangelical  rather  than  vivid,  figurative  or  impassioned.  He 
was  always  very  closely  confined  to  his  notes.  This  was  partly 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  close  reasoning  of  his  arguments.  Not 
in  a  free  and  easy  way  did  he  deliver  his  sermons  but  the  line 
upon  line  and  precept  upon  precept  method.  He  rather  dis- 
trusted the  emotional,  believing  that  the  mind  should  be  the 
strong  factor  in  a  man's  relation  to  his  God.  He  was  eagerly 
sought  for  as  a  speaker  on  theological  themes  at  church  meet- 
ings. He  was  also  eagerly  sought  for  as  an  instructor  of  theol- 
ogy for  those  who  desired  to  enter  the  Christian  ministry.  He 
was  a  keen  and  hard  critic,  but  his  students  were  always  sound 
and  it  was  not  sounding  brass.  Perhaps  his  greatest  sermon 
was  on  the  theme,  "The  natural  and  moral  inability  of  man." 
It  is  recorded  of  him  that  he  was  not  a  pleasant  antagonist 
in  a  theological  discussion  for  he  was  dictatorial  and  dogmatic. 
He  was  constitutionally  irritable.  He  attributed  differences 
of  opinion  to  dullness  of  comprehension  on  the  part  of  the 
antagonist,  as  others  so  often  do. 

Dr.  Smalley  was  not  in  sympathy  with  the  Revolution  at 
its  start,  but  later  realized  its  importance.  He  was  always 
interested  in  civil  affairs  and  often  preached  on  politics.  In 
a  sense  he  was  the  government  agent  whose  duty  was  clear  in 
matters  of  the  welfare  of  the  country.  On  one  occasion  a 
parishioner  reproached  him  on  the  grounds  that  he  took  politics 
into  the  pulpit.     Dr.  Smalley  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what  the 


39 

man  meant.  The  man  said  that  he,  Dr.  Smalley,  could  not 
keep  politics  out  of  his  prayers  and  he  answered,  "I  pray  for 
all  men  and  all  classes,  I  pray  for  the  righteous  and  the  wicked, 
for  the  rulers  and  all  that  are  in  authority."  The  man  answered, 
"When  you  pray  for  the  righteous  I  know  that  you  mean  the 
Federalists  and  for  the  wicked  I  know  that  you  mean  the 
Whigs."  In  such  ways  do  men  read  meaning  into  sentences 
and  into  sermons. 

The  most  important  date  in  the  history  of  this  church  is 
April  19,  1758,  for  on  that  day  John  Smalley  was  ordained  to 
the  Christian  ministry,  in  a  manner  as  many  of  the  subsequent 
ministers  of  this  church  have  been  ordained,  by  laying  on  of 
the  hands  of  the  Presbytery.  And  the  church  of  New  Britain, 
consisting  of  seventeen  persons  from  the  church  in  Newington 
and  fifty-one  from  the  church  of  Kensington,  began  its  exist- 
ence. 

Let  us  now  imagine  ourselves  on  a  given  Sunday  morning 
attending  the  service.  Preparations  have  been  completed 
in  every  home  at  six  o'clock  the  night  before,  and  on  Sabbath 
morning  there  remained  only  the  breakfast  duties,  the  saddling 
of  the  horses,  the  riding  to  the  church,  all  of  which  was  accom- 
plished before  the  time  of  the  service.  From  East  Street, 
Stanley  Street  and  Main  Street,  (I  suppose  they  were  then 
called  roads)  in  every  direction  we  see  people  approaching 
the  meeting-house.  The  person  who  is  "given  rates"  for  beat- 
ing the  drum,  is  lustily  performing  his  duty  and  the  reverber- 
ating sound  is  heard  far  and  near.  We  enter  with  the  congre- 
gation before  the  minister  arrives.  The  solemnity  of  the 
occasion  seems  to  be  upon  all  except  the  eternal  boy  who  needs 
a  special  officer  to  look  after  his  religious  behavior,  which  officer 
was  provided  in  these  early  services.  We  now  find  ourselves 
in  a  large  room  like  a  hall  without  ornamentation.  The  high 
pulpit  with  its  great  sounding  board  over  it  gives  us  a  feeling 
of  strangeness.  The  method  of  seating  the  congregation 
strikes  us  as  strange.  The  pews  are  box  pews  with  doors. 
Some  of  the  occupants  face  the  pulpit  and  others  sit  with  their 
backs  to  the  minister  and  we  notice  that  the  women  sit  with 
their  backs  to  the  pulpit  while  the  men  sit  in  solemn  dignity 
facing  the  preacher.  We  now  have  an  opportunity  to  observe 
the  relative  positions  of  the  men  of  the  community  as  they  are 
seated  in  church  according  to  rank,  as  first,  second,  third  and 
fourth. 


40 

The  minister  now  approaches  with  dignified  tread  and 
solemn  mien.  He  taps  his  foot  upon  the  door  sill  and  the  men 
arise  and  stand  until  the  minister  takes  his  place.  Then  fol- 
lows a  service  too  long  for  us  to  follow  here,  as  the  prayer  and 
the  sermon  often  occupied  two  hours  of  time. 

Church  affairs  ran  an  uneventful  course  until  the  disturbing 
times  of  the  Revolution.  It  has  never  seemed  to  me  that  all 
the  causes  of  the  Revolution  have  been  brought  to  the  fore. 
The  immediate  cause,  no  doubt,  was  the  political  injustices 
of  the  mother  country,  but  we  must  remember  that  these 
political  injustices  were  inflicted  upon  the  sons  and  daughters, 
the  grandsons  and  granddaughters  of  those  who  had  already 
felt  her  religious  injustices.  It  is  doubtful  in  my  mind  if  the 
events  of  that  period  would  have  culminated  in  the  Revolution 
if  there  had  not  been  back  of  it  that  deep  resentment  which 
burned  into  the  hearts  of  those  strong  religious  men  and  women 
who  had  been  obliged  to  suffer  so  much  because  of  their  religious 
faith.  Those  were  times  when  men  differed  greatly  as  to  the 
merits  of  the  struggle,  when  families  were  divided  against  them- 
selves and  churches  were  split.  Some  believed  that  the  colonies 
should  submit  to  the  mother  country,  having  as  a  basis  the 
idea  of  the  right  of  kings  to  rule.  Others  believed  that  the  only 
course  open  to  the  colonies  was  to  resist  and  claim  their  political 
as  they  long  ago  claimed  their  religious  freedom.  It  was 
a  question  for  a  long  time  what  would  be  the  outcome,  but 
that  something  which  has  always  asserted  itself  in  the  history 
of  this  church  kept  men  true  to  the  ideals  of  religion  through 
all  these  trying  experiences.  The  number  from  this  parish 
who  gave  services  in  the  Revolution  is  thirty-seven. 

New  ideas  began  to  creep  in  upon  the  religious  life  of  the 
church  and  were  felt  here.  The  idea  of  the  need  of  a  more 
systematic  teaching  of  the  Holy  Scripture  than  was  given 
in  the  then  prevailing  method  of  church  life  and  activity,  was 
felt.  Thirty-five  years  before  there  had  been  started  in 
Gloucester,  England,  by  Robert  Raikes,  what  had  been  called 
a  Sunday  School.  It  is  hard  for  us  to  believe  that  this  sys- 
tematic teaching  of  the  word  of  God  to  the  children  is  not  older 
than  it  is,  for  it  is  quite  a  little  less  than  one  hundred  years 
old  in  the  State  of  Connecticut.  This  church  was  the  pioneer 
in  introducing  that  much  needed  reform  in  church  life,  as  a 
Sunday  School  was  organized  in  1816,  with  the  Rev.  Newton 
Skinner  as  the  first  president.     This  was  the  same  year  that 


41 

the  first  Sunday  School  was  organized  in  New  York,  but  slow 
Philadelphia  had  organized  one  25  years  before.  I  need  not 
further  refer  to  the  history  of  the  Sunday  School  of  this  church 
as  we  are  to  have  distributed  here  to-day  its  written  history, 
I  need  not  say  more  than  this — richly  has  this  church  been 
blessed  for  all  that  she  has  done  in  behalf  of  her  Sunday  School. 

One  never  feels  the  importance  of  new  ideas  when  they  first 
creep  into  the  life  of  the  church  or  of  the  community.  I  think 
that  it  may  be  said  without  contradiction  that  the  first  sixty 
years  of  the  life  of  this  church  was  the  same  as  that  of  most  of 
the  New  England  churches,  for  all  her  ideas  were  local  and  there 
was  little  or  no  sense  of  responsibility  for  anything  outside  the 
bounds  of  her  own  parish.  It  is  true  that  here  and  there  a 
single  teacher  would  start  out  and  attempt  to  teach  the  Indians, 
but  it  was  not  thought  of  as  a  responsibility  that  rested  on  the 
church  as  a  whole.  It  was  not  until  after  1806  that  the  churches 
became  conscious  of  any  responsibility  beyond  the  borders  of 
their  own  parishes.  Then  there  began  to  creep  in  upon  the 
spirit  of  men,  the  thought  that  there  were  places,  races  and 
even  continents  for  whom  they  had  a  responsibility.  Thus 
the  great  missionary  movem.ent  of  the  last  century  began.  Dr. 
Smalley,  though  prominently  connected  with  all  that  pertained 
to  Connecticut  Congregationalism,  was  at  that  time  too  feeble 
to  participate  in  the  great  movement,  but  it  was  not  long  before 
we  find  this  church  taking  her  part  in  this  great  work  and  early 
did  she  begin  to  give  of  her  means  to  the  spreading  of  the  gospel 
throughout  the  world.  The  American  Board  of  Commissioners 
of  Foreign  Missions,  through  its  secretary.  Dr.  Cornelius  H. 
Patton,  whose  wife  is  a  descendant  of  our  famous  Dr.  Smalley, 
writes  that  in  looking  over  the  records  of  the  gifts  from  this 
church  to  foreign  missions  he  discovers  that  the  first  gift  was 
given  in  May,  1824  and  was  $15.89.  He  further  remarks, 
"This  gift  reached  far  back  and  it  is  a  starter  for  a  long  and 
fine  record  on  the  part  of  your  people." 

During  the  last  ten  years  of  Dr.  Smalley's  life  there  was 
associated  with  him  the  Rev.  Newton  Skinner,  who  seemed 
during  that  time  not  to  have  made  a  remarkable  impression 
upon  the  life  of  the  church,  but  after  Dr.  Smalley's  death  and 
during  the  great  awakening  of  1819  and  1820  which  began  at 
Saratoga  and  Albany  and  extended  to  New  Britain  in  1821, 
the  great  powers  of  the  man  revealed  themselves  and  the  results 
of  his  labors  became  apparent.     At  one  communion  held  on  Aug- 


42 

ust  5th,  1821,  eighty-six  joined  with  this  church,  including  the 
most  prominent  men  of  New  Britain,  and  in  four  months  one 
hundred  and  twenty  new  names  were  added  to  the  role.  After 
these  additions,  which  gave  new  zeal  to  church  attendance,  the 
meeting-house  in  which  they  worshiped  was  felt  to  be  unworthy 
of  the  congregation,  nor  did  it  fill  the  needs  of  the  community. 
With  noble  self-sacrifice  and  self-denial  and  with  great  enthusi- 
asm, likened  much  to  the  enthusiasm  of  the  children  of  Israel 
placing  the  temple  on  Mount  Zion,  they  built  a  noble  structure 
as  the  picture  of  the  church  reveals  to  us.  Dr.  Skinner  was 
not  long  permitted  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labor  and  died 
soon  after  the  church  was  completed,  which  was  in  1822. 

But  we  must  not  think  that  the  history  of  this  church  was 
all  made  by  the  people  who  first  organized  it  or  by  the  ministers 
who  first  served  it.  They  were  the  first  fruits  of  a  great  harvest 
of  men  and  women  who  in  this  organization  have  given  service 
to  God.  Time  does  not  permit  us  to  give  details  of  the  different 
pastorates,  but  a  roll  call  is  in  order: 

The  Rev.  John  Smalley,  D.D.,  1758,  died  1820. 

The  Rev.  Newton  Skinner,  1810—1825. 

The  Rev.  Henry  Jones,  1825—1827. 

The  Rev.  Jonathan  Cogswell,  D.D.,  1829—1834. 

The  Rev.  Dwight  M.  Seward,  D.D.,  1836—1842. 

The  Rev.  Chester  S.  Lyman,  1843—1845. 

The  Rev.  Charles  S.  Sherman,  1845—1849. 

The  Rev.  Ebenezer  B.  Andrews,  1850—1851. 

The  Rev.  Horace  Winslow,  1852—1857. 

The  Rev.  Lavalette  Perrin,  D.D.,  1858—1870. 

The  Rev.  John  H.  Denison,  D.D.,  1871—1878. 

The  Rev.  E.  H.  Richardson,  D.D.,  1879,  died  1883. 

The  Rev.  G.  Stockton  Burroughs,  Ph.  D.,  1884—1886. 

The  Rev.  William  Burnet  Wright,  D.D.,  1888—1894. 

The  Rev.  George  H.  Sandwell,  1894—1897. 

The  Rev.  Russell  T.  Hall,  D.D.,  1897—1905. 
and  the  present  pastor.  Associated  with  some  of  these  was 
the  honored  Rev.  M.  B.  Boardman,  who  so  long  labored  for 
the  interests  of  this  church,  and  mention  should  also  be  made 
of  the  present  associate  pastor  of  this  church  whose  parish 
requires  that  he  should  labor  far  from  us.  I  refer  to  our  mis- 
sionary, George  B.  Cowles,  of  Natal,  South  Africa.  Three  of 
the  above  mentioned.  Dr.  Denison,  Dr.  Wright  and  Mr.  Sand- 
well  are  with  us  to-day. 


43 

Let  me  at  this  point  introduce  a  few  figures.  First  notice 
that  in  the  first  half  of  this  church's  life,  it  had  but  three  pas- 
tors and  in  the  second  half  it  now  has  its  fourteenth. 

The  statistics  of  membership  are  interesting.  During  the 
first  century  of  its  life  there  were  added  by  confession  and  by 
letter  1,205,  but  deaths  and  removals  during  this  time  left  the 
membership  at  the  end  of  the  century  254.  From  that  time 
on  we  show  the  increase  by  giving  the  membership  at  the  end 
of  each  decade. 

1858—254. 

1868—406. 

1878—526. 

1888—714. 

1898—725. 

1908—851. 

Smoothly  the  church  moved  along,  gradually  increasing 
in  membership  and  in  power,  when  the  greatest  controversy  in 
which  this  country  ever  engaged  swept  its  blighting  breath  over 
this  church.  As  early  as  1840  those  holding  different  opinions 
as  to  what  the  United  States  should  do  concerning  the  slavery 
question,  started  different  societies  and  the  church's  relation  to 
this  great  movement  created  different  sects  in  this  organization. 
It  is  better  for  us  no  doubt  to  pass  over  this  by  simply  mention- 
ing the  fact  that  the  differences  of  the  people  were  so  great  that 
one  hundred  and  twenty  members  of  this  church  petitioned 
that  a  new  society  should  be  organized  and  the  South  Con- 
gregational Church  of  New  Britain,  daughter  of  the  old 
mother  church,  came  into  existence.  I  have  no  disposition  or 
desire  to  probe  into  the  secret  feelings  or  open  causes,  for 
the  results  have  proven  it  to  be  the  will  of  God,  as  surely  as 
His  blessings  have  followed  both  churches. 

The  thing  of  great  importance  is  that  now  no  mistake  be 
made  in  the  relations  or  fellowship  that  exist  between  these  two 
churches.  They  were  never  more  closely  united  than  they  are 
at  the  present.  May  that  relationship  grow  better  and  deeper 
as  the  years  go  by,  and  if  in  time  to  come  it  should  be  wise  that 
these  again  be  united,  we  hope  the  changes  necessary  to  bo 
made  would  not  be  changes  of  friendship,  love  and  fellowship. 

We  do  not  find  much  concerning  the  100th  anniversary, 
or  t.hat  it  was  celebrated  in  any  marked  way,  but  one  great 
event  marks  the  pa.s.sing  of  that  time.  The  dedication  of  this 
church  building  took  place  in  August,  1855,  ninety-seven  years 


44 

after  the  first  meeting-house  was  started,  which  was  built 
during  the  years  1755  and  1756,  one  hundred  years  before  this 
house  of  worship  was  completed. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  greatest  changes  that  has  come  to  this 
church  is  the  change  of  environment.  For  almost  one  hundred 
years  it  was  a  rural  community  and  the  constituency  of  this 
church  were  almost  entirely  agriculturists.  Now  this  is  entirely 
a  city  church,  with  not  more  than  twenty  families  out  of  six 
hundred  families,  residing  in  the  rural  community.  The  closer 
associations  of  men  in  civil  life  have  brought  their  great  prob- 
lems not  only  to  the  depleted  country  churches,  but  have  brought 
added  burdens  to  the  city  church.  The  bringing  together 
of  these  elements  that  converge  in  the  centers  of  population 
makes  a  great  responsibility  for  those  who  are  intrusted  with 
the  care  of  the  urban  churches.  The  relative  cost  of  maintain- 
ing a  religious  organization  has  greatly  increased.  Dr.  Smalley 
never  received  more  than  one  hundred  pounds  per  annum  and 
the  average  cost  per  member  was  never  more  than  four  dollars 
and  seldom  equalled  that.  The  cost  has  greatly  increased. 
Bearing  in  mind  the  great  difference  in  monetary  conditions 
between  that  time  and  now,  we  would  call  attention  to  the  fact 
that  it  now  costs  more  than  $15  per  member  to  maintain  a 
modem  organization  and  its  many  activities  and  benevolences. 

Sacrifice  is  necessary  now  to  be  able  to  carry  on  the  work. 
One  can  see  this  change  in  the  number  of  organizations  which 
are  a  part  of  every  modern  church.  Organization  of  young 
people  was  needed  and  that  need  was  felt  very  early  in  this 
church.  More  than  forty  years  ago  a  society  for  young  people 
was  formed,  years  before  Christian  Endeavor  was  ever  thought 
of.  The  society  had  a  pledge  which  was  far  more  strict  and 
binding  than  the  pledge  of  Christian  Endeavor,  and  its  object 
was  to  develop  the  minds  of  its  members,  to  teach  the  Shorter 
Catechism,  which  is  to-day  ruled  out  of  our  church  life.  Many 
of  its  great  conceptions  we  are  sorry  to  say,  seem  to  have  gone 
with  it.  It  was  a  sorry  day  when  such  ideas  were  no  longer 
thought  about.  Well  would  it  be  if  we  could  again  make  a 
great  many  people  believe  that  it  was  im.portant  and  that  it  is 
important  that  we  have  a  definite  idea  as  to  what  is  the  chief 
end  of  man.  In  many  cases  it  seems  that  the  chief  end  of  man 
is  to  gather  together  as  much  of  this  world's  goods  as  he  can, 
or  to  have  a  good  time.  Who  can  know  the  loss  when  human 
vision  no  longer  sees  that  the  "chief  end  of  man  is  to  glorify 


45 

God  and  to  enjoy  Him  forever."  This  was  the  kind  of  material 
that  our  young  people  thought  about  in  the  early  organized 
society.  When  Christian  Endeavor  proved  itself  worthy  of 
the  activities  of  our  young  people,  this  church  readily  changed 
the  form  of  its  young  people's  society  into  that  of  Christian 
Endeavor  and  since  that  time  it  has  done  remarkable  and 
noble  work  in  the  interests  of  this  church. 

Another  feature  of  modern  church  life  is  the  use  of  woman. 
Little  place  was  found  for  her  except  upon  the  roll,  in  the  early 
history  of  this  church,  but  a  large  place  is  found  for  her  in  the 
modern  church  activities.  The  social  and  sociable  conscience 
of  the  church  seems  to  have  been  aroused  at  about  the  same 
period,  and  no  church  is  thought  to  be  well  organized  which 
does  not  have  its  women's  societies  for  almost  every  form  of 
religious  activity.  I  do  not  thus  late  in  the  sermon  speak  of 
her  because  she  was  late  with  her  activities.  Not  much  in 
the  ruling  line  was  committed  to  her.  St.  Paul  for  a  long  time 
extended  his  dominating  thought  over  her  activities,  she  must 
work  in  secret  and  she  did,  unobserved,  unnoticed  by  the 
Chronicler  of  New  England  history.  The  mothers  in  New 
England  like  the  mothers  of  Israel  were  potent  factors  in  the 
religious  life  of  the  community.  As  early  as  the  year  1815 
and  1816,  before  there  was  a  Sunday  School  in  the  State  of 
Connecticut,  only  five  years  after  the  first  Foreign  Missionary 
Society  was  organized,  there  was  a  women's  society  which  in 
those  years  made  contributions  to  Home  Missionary  work,  and 
through  these  ninety-three  years  has  kept  up  this  good  work. 

A  Ladies'  Foreign  Missionary  society  was  formed  in  this 
church  in  1872  and  is  now  a  part  of  that  great  company  of 
noble  women  who  furnish  a  third  of  the  annual  contributions 
to  the  foreign  missionary  work  of  the  churches.  This  would 
suggest  the  possible  advantage  of  better  missionary  organizations 
among  the  men. 

Perhaps  no  change  is  greater  in  religious  life  than  the  rise 
of  the  social  consciousness  of  people,  the  ethical  demand  of  this 
age,  asserting  its  duty  and  responsibility  concerning  the  indus- 
trial, commercial  and  social  conditions  of  men.  The  industrial 
period  through  which  we  are  passing  and  which  bids  fair  to 
change  a  jjhase  not  only  of  the  world's  belief,  but  also  the  whole 
human  attitude  toward  life,  is  to  be  grappled  with  by  the 
church  and  she  is  beginning  to  understand  something  of  her 
social  mission.     Is  not  this  the  true  conception  of  the  work  of 


46 

the  church?  Jesus'  life  was  certainly  spent  in  social  service, 
not  perhaps  in  theoretical  adjustment  of  industrial  relations, 
although  who  can  say  that  the  spirit  of  that  life  could  not  in 
the  20th  century  enter  into  and  adjust  that  great  problem. 
Certainly  the  most  marked  expression  of  His  life  was  that  of 
social  service  in  behalf  of  those  who  had  greatest  need  of  His 
ministrations.  The  organization  of  the  Young  Men's  Christian 
Association  whose  first  conception  was  simply  the  development 
of  the  religious  life  of  the  young  man,  did  not  carry  in  its  original 
intention  any  other  idea.  Even  that  has  developed  so  rapidly 
along  social  lines  that  to-day  its  expression  is  almost  entirely 
an  expression  of  great  social  service.  This  has  given  a  hint  to 
the  church  of  the  value  of  men's  organizations  in  developing 
the  social  conscience  of  the  church.  For  many  years  in  this 
church  there  has  been  a  Brotherhood,  the  very  name  of  which 
suggests  its  mission.  Dr.  Hall  organized  a  men's  Bible  class 
and  within  the  last  year  a  Baraca  Club  has  been  formed  which 
promises  to  this  church  the  energy  of  fifty  or  more  young  men. 

Through  all  these  years  and  through  all  these  changes  the 
essential  elements  of  religion  have  remained  the  same.  The 
church  is  still  characterized  as  having  faith,  hope  and  love. 

Four  times  have  extraordinary  demands  been  made  upon 
this  congregation.  In  1755  conditions  demanded  a  building. 
Again  in  1822  the  exigencies  of  the  situation  required  that  a 
new  church  should  be  built.  And  still  further  in  1854  more 
commodious  quarters  were  needed.  To  each  of  these  demands 
the  congregation  responded  nobly.  Has  that  spirit  left  the 
church?  Two  years  ago  the  necessity  of  providing  better  and 
greater  accommodations  for  Sunday  School  and  social  work  was 
presented  to  the  congregation,  at  the  same  time  the  need  of 
renovating  the  church  was  impressed  upon  the  people  and  in  this 
day  it  is  shown  that  the  spirit  and  mantle  of  the  fathers  have 
descended  to  the  church  even  to  this  generation. 

In  conclusion  may  I  draw  attention  to  a  few  of  the  marked 
characteristics  of  this  church  as  they  have  been  impressed  upon 
me  in  my  researches. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  ministers,  that  noble  band  of  men, 
who  by  faith  have  led  the  activities  of  this  church.  Further 
than  that  I  have  been  impressed  by  the  character  of  the  people 
who  have  made  its  rank  and  file.  If  I  were  to  begin  to  call 
the  roll  of  those  whose  characters  have  been  impressed  for 
good  upon  the  community,  we  would  have  no  further  service 


47 

this  day.  Men  who  took  their  places  in  the  councils  of  the 
church  and  state  and  nation,  and  one  at  least  to  whom  the 
world  has  given  attention,  in  this  church  have  worshiped  and 
labored.  And  to-day  after  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  have 
passed  one  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  this  church  is  the 
strong  and  mighty  men  whose  names  appear  on  the  roll  of 
membership.     This  church  has  been  and  is  noted  for  its  men. 

Another  thing  to  be  noticed  is  that  this  church  has  always 
been  evangelistic.  Full  sympathy  and  co-operation  have  been 
given  to  every  movement  looking  toward  the  evangelization 
of  humanity.  It  was  characteristic  of  the  early  church  his- 
torian to  chronicle  the  revivals  that  took  place.  During  the 
ministrations  of  almost  every  minister  this  feature  has  been 
noted. 

It  is  well  for  us  to  have  distinctly  in  mind  this  truth.  The 
church  is  the  representative  of  the  Christ  who  came  to  seek  and 
to  save  the  lost.  That  commission  this  church  has  accepted  to  a 
marked  degree,  more  marked  than  has  been  the  acceptance 
of  it  by  many  churches.  It  may  be  that  the  conception  of 
salvation  is  a  broader  idea,  with  greater  meaning  than  the 
forefathers  gave  it,  but  the  spirit  of  the  church  should  not 
change.  The  work  is  still  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.  Great 
spiritual  waves  have  swept  over  this  community,  praying  men 
and  women  have  waited  on  the  Lord  and  He  has  blessed  them 
and  the  community.  Patiently  and  prayerfully  have  the 
members  of  this  church  sought  to  win  men  and  women  into 
the  kingdom  of  God.  Her  ministers  have  faithfully  preached 
this  word  of  truth,  special  evangelistic  methods  have  been  used 
and  evangelists  have  been  employed  to  carry  out  this  spirit. 
We  should  not  forget  that  we  have  an  evangelistic  inheritance. 

Again  a  marked  feature  of  this  church  has  been  her  mission- 
ary zeal.  WTiatever  may  be  said  about  the  harsh  theology  of 
the  New  England  churches,  it  did  not  prevent,  but  rather 
impelled  broad  views  of  the  obligations  of  the  church  to  men. 
It  was  in  the  New  England  churches  that  missionary  life  was 
first  felt,  and  it  has  been  their  glory  that  the  life  has  developed. 
This  church  became  one  of  the  missionary  churches  of  the 
denomination  and  has  kept  that  missionary  spirit  even  until 
now.  Early  in  the  history  a  Miss  Hough  went  from  this 
church  as  a  missionary  to  the  Indians.  Miss  Eliza  Talcott, 
now  a  missionary  in  Japan  was  also  from  our  church,  and  our 
own  representative  in  Africa  is  the  Rev.  George  B.  Cowles 


48 

whose  name  is  on  our  calendar  each  week.  Another  former 
member  of  this  church  is  in  the  foreign  missionary  work,  Miss 
Pierce,  but  of  another  church. 

This  gives  a  stamp  to  the  church  of  missionary  enthusiasm 
which  we  should  feel  proud  to  note,  and  when  we  add  to  that 
the  noble  gifts  of  the  members  of  this  church  to  the  work  of 
missions,  we  feel  that  we  have  well  established  the  title  of  a 
missionary  church. 

One  other  feature  of  this  church  has  been  impressed  upon 
me.  Her  interest  and  influence  in  public  affairs.  In  the  early 
history  she  was  the  community,  she  was  the  unit  of  civil  life. 
The  affairs  of  the  township  were  considered  at  her  meetings 
and  the  town  meetings  were  held  in  the  church.  The  dissolu- 
tion of  the  bond  of  union  between  state  and  church  did  not 
relegate  the  New  England  church  from  political  affairs. 

It  has  always  been  considered  the  province  of  the  pulpit 
to  discuss  the  affairs  of  state  and  it  has  been  considered  the 
duty  of  the  members  to  shoulder  the  responsibility  of  state. 
They  were  the  state.  The  form  has  changed  but  the  spirit 
is  still  upon  the  church.  She  felt  the  burden  of  conditions, 
she  felt  the  responsibility  for  civil  conditions  and  even  now 
assumes  her  prerogative  and  right  to  lay  before  religious  men 
the  duties  of  citizenship. 

These  four:  Strong  men,  evangelistic  spirit,  missionary 
zeal,  commonwealth  interest,  have  marked  the  life  of  this 
church. 

We  stand  to-day  on  an  eminence  and  view  a  vision  beauti- 
ful. But  are  we  not  Janus-like  with  two  faces?  Janus  has 
been  slandered  by  being  thought  false  because  he  was  two- 
faced.  But  was  he  not  like  us  simply  looking  in  two  directions? 
With  one  face  old  and  worn,  encircled  with  a  crown  of  glory, 
because  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness,  deep  lines  are 
furrowed  into  the  face  but  the  whole  expression  is  victory. 
We  look  back  over  the  years,  a  hutidred  and  fifty  of  them  well 
employed,  and  the  light  of  joy  and  reward  is  in  the  face.  The 
other  face,  young  and  strong  and  manly,  looks  to  the  future. 
Strength  and  courage  and  hope  bum  in  that  eye.  Readiness 
to  do,  and  to  do  nobly,  is  marked  on  that  brow.  And  do  you 
ask  which  is  this  church?     I  answer,  both — both. 


Mii.  Edward  H.  Davison. 


HISTORICAL  ADDRESS 

BY  MR.  EDWARD  H.  DAVISON 

"/  believe  that  there  is  no  field  of  labor,  no  field  of  Christian  benevolence, 
which  has  yielded  a  greater  harvest  to  our  national  interests,  and  national  char- 
acter, than  tlie  great  institution  of  the  Sunday  School." — John  Bright  in  an 
address  at  London  in  1887. 

The  foregoing  estimate  of  the  educating  and  evangelizing 
agency  of  the  Sunday  School  in  England  twenty  years  ago  by 
so  competent  and  impartial  an  observer  is  also  without  doubt 
true  of  the  United  States,  and  especially  of  New  England. 

The  influence  of  the  modern  Sunday  School  movement 
has  doubtless  contributed  more  to  the  religious  progress  of  our 
country  than  any  other  agency. 

It  is  difficult  to  realize  at  this  distance  of  time  the  great 
change  which  was  speedily  wrought  by  the  advent  of  the  Sun- 
day School  in  the  prevailing  sentiment  of  parents,  teachers 
and  pastors,  concerning  the  religious  needs  and  capabilities 
of  children  as  objects  of  church  effort  and  church  care. 

In  his  admirable  memorial  address  upon  the  life  of  Deacon 
Alfred  Andrew^s,  (in  1876),  Elihu  Burritt  referred  to  the  influ- 
ence which  the  coming  of  the  Sunday  School  exerted  upon  this 
church  as  follows : 

"The  origin  of  this  institution  was  a  new  and  most  impor- 
tant point  of  departure  in  the  religious  life  and  history  of  New 
Britain,  both  in  regard  to  young  and  old.  Under  the  old 
theological  regime  of  Dr.  Smalley,  the  first  settled  minister, 
children  were  scarcely  allowed  'to  be  seen,'  much  less  'to  be 
heard.'  Up  to  an  age  which  he  and  the  like  of  him  did  not 
precisely  define,  they  were  not  regarded  as  subjects  of  saving 
grace,  or  fitted  for  admission  into  the  family  of  the  Christian 
Church.  He  preached  no  sermons  they  could  understand 
but  as  one  who  now  remembers  Lhem  well  tells  me,  his  favorite 
dogma  from  one  year's  end  to  another  was  the  doctrine  of 
election,  presented  in  its  severest  a.spccts.  Like  other  dis- 
tinguished divines  of  the  same  age  and  theology,  he  seemed  to 
exact  it  as  the  test  of  a  proper  mind,   that   for  the  glory  of 


50 

God  and  in  accordance  with  His  will,  a  man  should  accept 
salvation  or  perdition  with  the  same  gladness  and  gratitude. 
Of  course,  a  Sunday  School,  to  fit  children  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  before  the  fore-ordained  age,  could  not  grow  up  under 
such  preaching.  Nor  was  this  all.  Without  a  Sunday  School, 
no  lay  member  of  the  church  had  any  permission  or  oppor- 
tunity to  open  his  lips  at  that  time  in  a  religious  meeting. 
Under  Dr.  Smalley,  there  were  no  social  prayer  meetings,  nor 
religious  meetings  of  any  kind  on  Sunday  evening  or  any  other 
evening  of  the  week.  He  preached  twice  on  Sunday  and  gave 
six  preparatory  lectures  in  the  year,  and  no  other  voice  than 
his  was  heard  imparting  religious  instruction." 

The  institution  of  the  Sunday  School  in  1816,  under  Rev. 
Newton  Skinner,  successor  of  Dr.  Smalley,  was  the  starting- 
point  of  a  new  form  of  Christian  life,  effort  and  experience  in 
New  Britain.  In  it  children  were  not  only  taught  the  vital 
truths  of  the  Gospel,  but  their  teachers  taught  and  trained 
themselves  to  conduct  religious  meetings  and  to  speak  to 
large  companies  of  all  ages.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say,  that 
the  Sunday  School,  in  New  Britain  at  least,  brought  into  life 
with  it,  the  social  week-evening  prayer  meeting,  and  developed 
the  first  lay  power  of  our  churches  for  active  Christian  work. 
For  the  first  few  years  the  Sunday  School  gave  but  little  scope 
to  the  development  of  this  latent  force.  For  the  children  occu- 
pied nearly  all  of  the  time,  and  few  other  voices  were  heard 
during  the  hour.  They  were  only  expected  to  commit  to 
memory  and  to  repeat  verses  of  Scripture  to  their  teachers  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  as  they  were  stimulated  by  an  ambition  to 
excel  each  other  in  this  mental  effort,  a  teacher  som^etimes  had 
to  call  in  help  in  order  that  all  his  class  might  be  heard.  Thus 
he  had  no  time  to  say  anything  to  them,  except  to  correct  a 
recitation.  One  of  the  most  ambitious  of  these  scholars  was 
Eliza  Shipman,  sister  of  the  wife  of  Deacon  Andrews.  In  a 
letter  written  to  him  a  few  years  before  her  death,  she  thus 
describes  the  system  under  Deacon  Whittlesey,  the  first 
superintendent: 

"A  prize  was  offered  to  the  pupil,  or  pupils,  who  should 
commit  to  memory  the  greatest  number  of  verses  during  the 
summer;  as  having  a  Sunday  School  through  the  winter  was 
not  then  thought  of.  In  my  class  were  Nancy  Whittlesey, 
Electa  Lee,  with  myself,  and  some  others.  We  were  very 
ambitious  and  in  earnest  to  get  the  prize,  which  I  think  was 


51 

a  Bible.  We  had  tickets;  I  do  not  remember  how  many 
verses  we  were  to  commit  to  get  a  ticket,  but  I  remember  that 
Nancy  Whittlesey  and  myself  committed  to  memory  and  recited 
each  700  verses  one  Sabbath." 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  there  are  in  existence  no 
continuous  records  of  this  Sunday  School,  and  the  absence  of 
them,  especially  those  of  its  earUer  periods,  has  rendered  the 
preparation  of  a  detailed  review  of  the  progress  of  the  school 
very  difficult. 

In  addition  to  what  has  been  gathered  from  the  records 
of  the  church,  and  from  the  invaluable  history  of  Deacon 
Alfred  Andrews,  my  sources  of  information  have  been  the 
minutes  of  the  Wethersfield  and  Berlin  Sunday  School  Union 
(organized  in  1832),  various  historical  essays,  a  memorial 
address  by  Elihu  Burritt  upon  the  life  of  Alfred  Andrews,  and 
also  from  letters  and  reminiscences  of  the  older  members  of 
the  church  who  are  now  living,  together  with  my  own  recol- 
lections. 

As  has  been  already  stated,  this  Sunday  School  had  its 
beginning  in  the  year  1816  and  according  to  Deacon  Andrews, 
who  was  not  likely  to  be  mistaken,  it  has  the  distinguished 
honor  of  being  the  first  in  Connecticut.  At  that  time  there 
was  certainly  no  other  Sunday  School  in  Hartford  County, 
and  the  next  to  follow  in  order  of  date,  was  that  of  the  Mother 
Church  at  Farmington,  whose  history  dates  from  the  following 
year,  1817. 

It  was  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Newton  Skinner,  that 
the  school  was  organized,  probably  in  the  early  spring  of  1816, 
and  its  existence  has  been  continuous  from  that  time  to  the 
present. 

During  its  early  years,  it  appears  to  have  been  under  the 
care  of  a  "Sunday  School  Society"  which  was  formed  with  a 
constitution  and  various  officers,  Rev.  Mr.  Skinner  being  its 
president  and  Deacon  David  Whittlesey  its  first  superintendent. 

In  the  early  spring  of  1826  the  school  was  re-organized, 
and  about  this  time  it  seems  to  have  come  more  directly  under 
the  care  of  the  church,  as  a  part  of  its  own  organization,  a.<; 
we  find  it  stated  that  "the  School  is  sustained  by  the  Church." 

(Note)-  Mr.  Comeliua  AnflrnwH,  who  in  the  nephew  of  "  Kliza  Shinmnn,"  before  nmntioncd, 
inforrriH  mo  that  she  was  but  nine  vearH  of  np,f  at  the  time  to  which  tniH  letter  refem,  ancl  Ihiit 
in  her  after  life  she  read  the  entire  Hible  by  rourve  ench  year  for  thirty-nine  roniiecutive 
yearH.     In  her  letter  to  ih-acnn  AndrewM  Hhe  alno  writ^-n  : 

"f.'n'ier  auch  con»Iition»  the  lencberH  made  no  atlemptH  to  explnin,  m"  it  v,un  iih  niiirh  a» 
they  could  do  to  hear  the  clahH  r>-peal,  and  one  Mchobir  wa»  often  iihUi d  to  hear  Bonn'  of  Ihi 
olbera,  in  order  to  get  through  in  time  for  the  commencement  of  the  afternoon  trrvictm." 


52 

A  few  years  later,  it  is  also  said  that  "the  School  is  sustained 
by  the  Church,  and  its  officers  appointed  at  the  Annual  Fast." 

At  the  present  time  and  for  many  years  past,  the  officers 
of  the  Sunday  School  have  been  appointed  by  the  church  at 
its  annual  meeting  in  January,  upon  the  nomination  of  the 
teachers. 

At  the  re-organization  of  the  School  in  1826  Alfred  Andrews 
was  chosen  superintendent,  and  his  record  for  Sunday,  April 
23d,  shows  that  there  was  an  attendance  that  day  of  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  children  and  eighteen  teachers. 

For  the  following  Sunday,  April  30th,  the  record  is  as 
follows: 

"School  opened  with  prayer  by  the  superintendent — six 
teachers  appointed.  School  went  into  operation.  Teachers 
feel  interested,  prospect  fair,  weather  clear." 

The  sessions  were  opened  with  prayer,  and  usually  closed 
by  an  address  and  singing. 

The  lessons  that  year  were  mostly  from  the  gospel  by  Luke. 

The  third  annual  report  by  Deacon  Andrews,  made  to 
the  church  and  congregation,  and  printed  in  the  Hartford 
County  Sabbath  School  Union,  April,  1829,  gives  its  condition 
at  that  time  as  follows: 

"The  school  embraces  a  superintendent,  assistant  super- 
intendent, forty-one  teachers,  and  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
three  scholars." 

"Nine  teachers  and  twenty-eight  scholars  have  made  a 
public  profession  of  religion  the  past  year." 

"The  School  has  been  continued  through  the  past  winter 
with  much  profit,  and  has  shared  richly  in  the  revival  which 
commenced  in  August  and  continued  through  the  winter." 

Sunday  School  Lessons 

During  the  earliest  years  of  its  existence,  the  scholars 
learned  passages  and  texts  of  scripture  without  question,  book 
or  commentary,  and  their  only  "Bible  helps"  at  that  time  were 
their  own  inquiring  minds,  and  retentive  memories. 

At  the  re-organization  in  1826,  or  very  soon  after,  a  system 
of  uniform  lessons  for  the  School  seems  to  have  been  adopted, 
as  the  record  states  that  "the  teachers  remained  after  divine  ser- 
vice and  the  lesson  was  explained  to  them"  and  for  a  number  of 
years  the  so-called  "Union  Question  Books"  were  in  use  by 
the  school. 


5S 

When  the  plans  for  the  simultaneous  study  of  the  same 
portion  of  the  Bible,  by  different  Sunday  Schools  throughout 
the  world  were  originated  (about  the  year  1866),  which  has 
been  called  "one  of  the  most  important  steps  for  the  universal 
extension  of  the  cause  of  Christianity  made  since  the  days  of 
the  Apostles,"  this  Sunday  School  at  once  adopted  the  "Inter- 
national Lesson  System"  and  has  ever  since  continued  its  use. 
And  now  under  the  influence  of  this  course  of  instruction,  the 
best  and  freshest  work  of  the  best  and  strongest  biblical  scholars 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic  is  made  available  as  a  help  to  the 
ordinary  study  of  the  teacher  and  scholar  in  their  preparation 
of  the  weekly  lesson. 

The  same  progressive  spirit  in  the  methods  and  plans  of 
the  school  has  been  manifest  in  regard  to 

TEACHERS'  Meetings 

Meetings  of  the  teachers  were  held  in  1826  at  which  "the 
lesson  was  explained  to  them,"  and  in  the  first  report  to  the 
Union  in  1833  it  is  stated  that  "the  teachers  meet  every  Friday 
evening."  These  meetings  were  usually  held  at  private  houses, 
and  were  conducted  by  the  superintendent. 

During  one  or  two  summers  the  teachers'  meetings  were 
held  in  the  Academy  building  on  Sunday  morning  "at  the 
ringing  of  the  first  bell." 

In  1837  there  occurred  a  powerful  revival  of  religion  in  the 
School,  about  seventy  conversions  being  reported,  and  during 
that  year  and  the  next  it  appears  the  teachers  were  accustomed 
to  "meet  on  Friday  evenings  to  study  the  lesson,  and  on  Satur- 
day evenings  to  pray." 

The  teachers'  meetings  for  the  study  of  the  lesson,  have 
been  since  regularly  maintained  and  have  often  been  conducted 
by  the  pastor  but  at  the  present  time  are  under  the  leadership 
of  Mr.  F.  L.  Hungerford. 

Library 

Whether  the  School  possessed  a  library  prior  to  its  re- 
organization in  1826,  does  not  appear.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  it  had  one  at  that  time,  as  there  is  a  record  of  its  distribu- 
tion on  the  14th  of  May,  and  in  1829  it  is  reported  as  numbering? 
three  hundred   and  fifty  volumes. 


54 

A  former  teacher  in  a  letter  written  in  1882,  wrote  of  its 
earlier  years  as  follows:  "Various  methods  were  adopted  to 
circulate  and  preserve  the  books." 

One  librarian  had  a  systematic  and  safe  plan  which  was 
this.  He  buckled  together  in  a  leather  strap  as  many  books 
as  there  were  scholars  in  a  class,  and  attached  the  teacher's 
name  to  the  strap. 

Then  they  were  sent  to  the  different  classes  with  the  under- 
standing that  they  were  to  remain  until  every  scholar  had  read 
each  book. 

For  many  years  the  library  has  been  in  charge  of  a  com- 
mittee appointed  annually,  whose  duty  it  is  to  thoroughly 
examine  every  book  which  it  is  proposed  to  add  to  the  library. 

Each  book  is  read  by  one  or  more  competent  judges  and 
only  those  are  placed  on  the  library  shelves  which  have  the 
endorsement  of  the  committee. 

Monthly  Concerts 

For  many  years,  according  to  a  widely  prevalent  custom, 
the  "Sunday  School  Concert"  was  held  on  the  second  Sunday 
evening  of  each  month. 

This  meeting  seems  to  have  been  instituted  as  a  concert  of 
prayer  for  the  School.  It,  however,  gradually  changed  its 
character,  and  became  a  children's  or  young  people's  meeting, 
the  exercises  consisting  of  singing,  recitations  by  the  scholars 
and  addresses  by  the  pastor,  superintendent  and  others;  and 
the  entire  service  was  usually  arranged  so  as  to  illustrate  some 
special  subject,  some  topic  of  biblical  study  or  a  review  of  the 
lessons  of  the  preceding  quarter. 

At  this  time  there  was  no  Young  People's  Society  of  Chris- 
tian Endeavor  or  any  other  similar  organization  for  the  young 
people  of  the  church,  and  their  activities  were  confined  to  the 
Sunday  School  and  its  "monthly  concert." 

With  the  advent  of  the  "Christian  Endeavor"  and  other 
societies,  the  Sunday  School  concert  gave  place  to  other  forms 
of  service  for  the  young  people,  and  in  later  years  has  been 
discontinued. 

CHILDREN'S  Sunday 

During  the  pastorate  of  Dr.  Richardson  the  so-called 
"Children's  Sunday"  was  first  observed  in  1881,  and   every 


55 

year  since  that  time  it  has  been  a  most  beautiful  and  interest- 
ing anniversary. 

On  Children's  Sunday  in  place  of  the  usual  morning  ser- 
vice, there  are  exercises  of  the  Sunday  School,  the  church  being 
profusely  decorated  with  roses  and  garlands  of  flowers,  while 
the  young  children  of  the  primary  classes  are  grouped  about 
the  pulpit  platform  and  stairs. 

Then  follows  a  baptismal  service  for  infants,  the  presenta- 
tion of  Bibles  by  the  pastor  on  behaK  of  the  church  to  all 
children  who  have  attained  the  age  of  seven  years  during  the 
preceding  twelve  months,  and  a  "gift  service"  during  which 
baskets  of  choice  flowers,  fruits,  and  delicacies  for  the  sick, 
are  contributed  by  each  class  of  the  school,  and  as  a  part  of 
the  exercises  are  brought  to  the  platform  to  be  sent  during  the 
afternoon  to  those  members  of  the  congregation  who  are  sick, 
or  in  sorrow  and  trouble,  as  a  loving  remembrance  from  the 
church. 

In  this  connection  it  should  be  mentioned  that  the  primary 
department  of  this  Sunday  School  was  the  first  to  be  organized 
in  New  Britain,  and  it  has  ever  been  cherished  by  the  church 
with  an  affectionate  interest. 

In  the  report  of  1833  mention  is  made  of  the  interesting 
Infant  Class  numbering  eighty-four. 

In  its  earlier  days  it  met  in  the  Academy  which  stood  near 
the  church,  but  when  the  present  edifice  was  dedicated  in 
1855,  this  department  was  transferred  to  the  parlors  of  the 
church. 

Its  first  superintendent  was  Eliza  Shipman,  and  she  was 
followed  by  Rebecca  Whittlesey,  Mrs.  Charlotte  (Hine)  Stan- 
ley, and  possibly  one  or  two  others,  for  brief  terms  previous 
to  1855,  when  Mrs.  Abbie  (Peck)  Lee  commenced  a  period  of 
most  devoted  and  successful  service  which  continued  until 
her  removal  from  New  Britain  in  1892. 

During  those  thirty-seven  years  in  which  the  primary 
department  was  in  charge  of  Mrs.  Lee,  nearly  all  the  young 
people  of  the  congregation  had  been  under  her  loving  care  and 
influence,  and  to-day  a  very  large  number  of  the  adult  members 
of  the  church  have  sweet  memories  of  their  connection  with 
the  primary  department,  and  of  the  winning  le.ssons  of  Mrs. 
Lee. 

Since  Mrs.  Lee's  removal  the  following  have  been  in 
charge  of  the  department:  Mi.ss  Anna  C.  Walter,  Mrs.  L.  S.  Har- 
ris, Miss  Frances  Whittlesey  and  Miss  Mary  Whitlle.^^ey. 


56 

Christmas 

The  Christmas  festival  has  for  fifty  years  or  more,  been 
made  a  very  joyous  occasion  for  the  younger  classes  of  the 
school,  and  at  one  period  all  of  its  members  both  old  and  young, 
had  a  part  in  the  exercises.  The  Christmas  tree,  bearing  all 
manner  of  gifts  for  the  children,  has  ever  been  strongly  rooted 
in  this  church,  and  there  have  also  been  many  other  special 
features  in  connection  with  the  distribution  of  gifts  to  the 
scholars,  which  have  added  to  their  Christmas  joy. 

For  a  long  time  it  has  been  customary  for  the  School  to 
arrange  for  an  annual  outing  or  picnic,  when  the  scholars  and 
teachers  have  enjoyed  a  fine  afternoon  in  some  pleasant  shady 
grove,  or  beside  some  charming  lake  where  there  were  sports 
and  games  for  the  young  people,  bountiful  tables  spread  under 
the  trees,  sweet  songs  by  the  children;  all  conspiring  to  make 
the  sweet  summer  day  one  of  great  enjoyment. 

During  its  entire  history  the  Sunday  School  has  been 
regarded  as  the  "nursery  of  the  church,"  and  a  very  large 
percentage  of  the  growth  of  the  latter,  has  been  in  the  acces- 
sions to  its  membership  from  the  ranks  of  the  School. 

The  steady  progress  of  the  Sunday  School  movement  in 
this  country  has  not  only  included  the  children  and  youth,  but 
there  has  also  been  a  wide  expansion  of  the  Sunday  School 
idea  which  has  extended  to  the  adult  membership  of  the 
churches,  and  the  foremost  scholars  of  the  foremost  universi- 
ties of  the  world  have  been  summoned  to  bear  a  part  in  the 
illustration,  or  application,  of  the  current  lesson  themes. 

Our  own  Sunday  School  has  ever  been  favored  with  the 
active  co-operation  of  the  most  influential  men  and  women 
of  the  church,  who  as  teachers  in  its  several  departments  have 
freely  given  of  their  time  and  their  best  efforts  to  its  work. 

The  late  Elihu  Burritt,  the  most  distinguished  citizen  of 
New  Britain  during  its  entire  history,  conducted  a  class  of 
young  men  until  his  failing  health  compelled  his  retirement. 

The  Hon.  Valentine  B.  Chamberlain  upon  his  return  to  New 
Britain  after  his  distinguished  service  as  an  officer  in  the  Union 
Army  during  the  Civil  War,  enlisted  as  a  teacher  in  this  Sunday 
School  and  continued  in  the  work  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

There  are  now  connected  with  the  school  many  earnest 
men  and  women,  including  a  number  of  the  leading  profes- 
sional and  business  men  of  the  city,  who  are  earnestly  engaged 
week  by  week  in  the  systematic  study  of  the  Bible. 


57 

All  of  the  pastors  of  the  church  without  exception  have 
maintained  very  intimate  and  helpful  relations  to  the  Sunday 
School,  and  in  all  possible  ways  have  heartily  co-operated  with 
the  officers  and  teachers.  Some  of  them,  especially  Dr.  Bur- 
roughs and  Dr.  Hall,  very  zealously  (but  perhaps  unwisely) 
taxed  their  strength  by  following  their  usual  Sunday  morning 
service  in  the  pulpit,  with  another  hour  in  the  Sunday  School, 
as  leaders  of  an  adult  Bible  Class. 

Since  the  death  of  Dr.  Hall,  the  class  which  was  under  his 
care,  comprising  a  large  number  of  men  of  the  congregation, 
has  been  very  successfully  continued  in  charge  of  Mr.  F.  L. 
Hungerford. 

Patriotism 

The  eventful  years  of  1861-65  showed  that  the  same  patri- 
otic spirit  which  was  so  marked  in  this  church  during  the  war 
of  the  Revolution  was  still  conspicuous  in  the  struggle  for  the 
preservation  of  the  Union. 

When  the  Northern  States  were  roused  to  action  by  the 
attack  upon  the  nation's  flag,  this  Sunday  School  shared  the 
prevailing  impulse  and  was  nobly  represented  in  the  field,  and 
bore  its  full  share  in  the  great  conflict. 

The  report  in  1862  to  the  Sunday  School  Union  shows 
that  twenty-one  members  of  the  School  were  at  that  time 
enrolled  in  the  Union  Army.  The  records  of  the  Union  and  the 
annual  reports  of  its  meetings  contain  many  items  of  interest. 

In  1836  an  arrangement  was  made  whereby  each  School 
should  receive  semi-annually  a  neighborly  visit  from  a  com- 
mittee of  the  other  schools,  and  it  was  voted  ''that  the  visitors 
do  not  travel  on  the  Sabbath  in  fulfilling  their  duty." 

It  was  also  suggested  that  they  go  on  Saturday  so  as  to 
attend  a  teachers'  meeting  on  Saturday  evening. 

The  annual  meetings  of  the  Union  on  the  second  Tuesday 
of  September  were  occasions  of  much  interest  and  there  was 
always  a  large  and  enthusiastic  attendance. 

They  were  held  upon  the  invitation  of  each  school  in 
rotation,  and  the  following  item  concerning  the  forty-sixth 
anniversary  which  was  held  in  this  church  in  1877  illustrates 
some  of  the  changes  which  have  taken  place  on  Main  Street. 
At  that  time  the  church  owned  a  much  larger  lot  than  at 
present,  with  a  wide  frontage  on  the  street. 


58 

'The  convention  adjourned  at  12.30  to  the  beautiful 
church  grounds,  south  of  the  church,  where  an  awniing  had  been 
erected  over  extended  tables  literally  loaded  with  floral  decor- 
ations, fruits  and  refreshments, 

"About  two  hundred  guests  were  soon  seated,  the  divine 
blessing  was  invoked  by  Rev.  Mr.  Griffin,  and  a  large  corps 
of  ladies  of  the  First  Church  responded  to  every  want  of  the 
large  company  present,  in  a  style  that  would  be  difficult  to 
duplicate." 

It  should  also  be  added  that  at  the  afternoon  session  of 
the  same  day,  one  part  of  the  programme  was  as  follows: 

"The  Adult  Department,  its  Importance,  and  How  to 
Develop  It,"  by  "C.  E.  Mitchell,  Esq.,  of  New  Britain,"  and 
a  very  discriminating  report  says  that  "the  topic  was  very 
impressively  presented." 

:■: ::  The  history  of  the  Sunday  School,  like  that  of  all  other 
institutions,  is  inseparable  from  individual  life  and  character, 
and  for  this  reason  this  sketch  would  be  incomplete  without 
special  reference  to  the  work  and  influence  of  Deacon  Alfred 
Andrews. 

He  was  connected  with  the  school  from  its  organization, 
and  for  sixty  busy  years  labored  with  great  earnestness  as 
an  officer  or  teacher. 

Elihu  Burritt  writes  of  him  as  follows: 
"The  life  of  Alfred  Andrews  blends  with  the  history  of  this 
Church  and  Sunday  School,  and  of  the  entire  religious  record 
of  New  Britain  from  1816  to  the  day  of  his  death  in  1876." 
He  was  about  eighteen  years  old  when  the  Sunday  School 
was  founded,  and  Deacon  Whittlesey,  the  superintendent, 
enlisted  him  as  a  teacher,  and  from  that  day  to  the  end  of  his 
long  life  his  interest  in  the  institution  never  waned,  but  seemed 
to  grow  warmer  and  deeper  with  his  advancing  age. 

In  1832  Deacon  Andrews  assisted  in  the  organization  of 
the  Sunday  School  Union,  embracing  the  Congregational 
Sunday  Schools  of  New  Britain,  Newington,  West  Hartford, 
Wethersfield,  Rocky  Hill,  Beriin  and  Kensington,  and  was 
appointed  its  first  secretary,  and  for  thirty-five  successive 
years  he  filled  that  position  with  his  characteristic  zeal  and 
enthusiasm. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  he  was  not  absent  from  a 
meeting  of  the  Union  during  the  thirty-five  years  he  served  as 
secretary,  and  the  succeeding  eight  years  when  he  held  the 


59 

office  of  vice-president.  An  historical  sketch  of  the  Union 
presented  at  its  fiftieth  anniversary  in  1882  contains  this  just 
tribute  to  Deacon  Andrews: 

"During  this  whole  period  of  forty-four  years  he  had  been 
thoroughly  identified  with  the  work  of  the  Union,  and  by  his 
efficient  efforts  probably  contributed  more  than  any  other  man 
to  its  perpetuity  and  success." 

This  devoted  and  beloved  friend  of  our  Sunday  School 
died  April  13th,  1876,  and  his  funeral  took  place  at  the  church 
the  following  Sunday  afternoon. 

The  Sunday  School  had  provided  a  large  crown  of  exquis- 
ite flowers,  which  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  casket  as  a 
token  of  its  affectionate  regard,  and  also  as  a  fitting  symbol 
of  the  nobly  "finished  coui'se." 

If  time  and  space  permitted,  it  would  be  a  pleasant  task 
to  record  many  personal  reminiscences  of  the  last  forty  years, 
and  also  to  refer  to  the  individual  labors  of  all  those  who  as 
officers  or  teachers,  have  contributed  to  the  success  and  pros- 
peritj''  of  this  school,  and  this  church. 

Their  influence  upon  the  children  and  youth  of  the  con- 
gregation cannot  be  measured. 

Many  of  these  children  have  grown  to  be  men  and  women, 
and  in  their  mature  years  have  become  centers  of  influence  and 
usefulness  in  this  city  or  in  other  places  where  their  lot  has 
been  cast,  and  on  this  anniversary  of  the  mother  church,  they 
will  gratefully  recall  the  memories  of  their  childhood,  their 
connection  with  this  Sunday  School,  and  especially  of  then* 
teachers,  who  with  affectionate  interest  and  loving  care,  sought 
to  mould  their  young  lives  aright. 

The  names  of  those  who  have  served  as  superintendents 
of  the  Sunday  School  are  as  follows: 

David  Whittlesey  John  N.  Bartlett 

Alfred  Andrews  Charles  Elliott  Mitchell 

Chauncey  Cornwall  Frank  L.  Hungerford 

Henry  L.  Bidwell  Edward  H.  Davison 

R.  G.  Williams  Mervin  C.  Stanley 

John  S.  Whittlesey  Chauncey  B.  Andrews 

David  W.  Whittlesey  A.  S.  Hawkes 

Norman  Hart  James  B.  Thom.son 

Roswell  Hawley  Morris  C.  Webster 

Dan.  Clark  Ruel  H.  Gray 

Charles  Northend  Edward  C.  Bradley 

Elliot  B.  Allen  E.  Clayton  Goodwin 


60 

The  organization  of  the  Sunday  School  for  the  present 
year  (1908)  is  as  follows: 

General  Superintendent,  E.  Clayton  Goodwin. 

First  Assistant  Superintendent,  R.  H.  Gray. 

Second  Assistant  Superintendent,  Miss  Addie  T.  Banister. 

Superintendent  Primary  Department,  Miss  Mary  Whittle- 
sey; Assistant,  Mrs.  Wm.  E.  Parker;  Secretary,  Miss 
Clarissa  E.  Bentley;  Pianist,  Miss  Alice  Louise  Booth. 

Treasurer,  W.  E.  Ingham. 

Secretary,  E.  G.  Bradley. 

Assistant  Secretary  and  Treasurer,  D.  Clark  Smith. 

Librarian,  Lewis  B.  Gibson. 

Assistant  Librarians,  Geo.  B.  A.  Baker,  Thomas  Quigley. 

Leader  Teachers'  Meeting,  F.  L.  Hungerford. 

Home  Department.  Superintendent,  Miss  Mary  Blake; 
Secretary,  Miss  Annie  L.  Bancroft;  Treasurer,  Miss 
Jenny  L.  Haugh. 

Executive  Committee.  The  Pastor  and  General  Superin- 
tendent, Miss  Mary  Whittlesey,  E.  G.  Bradley,  A.  N. 
Lewis. 

Library  Committee.  C.  S.  Phelps,  Lewis  Gibson,  Miss 
Mary  Whittlesey,  Rev.  Henry  W.  Maier,  Miss  Addie 
T.  Banister,  Miss  Helen  W.  Davison,  F.  G.  Piatt. 

In  reviewing  the  history  of  the  Sunday  School,  we  can 
but  be  strongly  impressed  with  its  steady  growth  and  the 
constant  progi'ess  in  all  its  plans  and  methods. 

Its  founders  were  simply  endeavoring  to  enlarge  their 
sphere  of  usefulness  in  a  humble  way,  and  were  probably 
wholly  unconscious  of  the  moral  grandeur  of  their  enterprise, 
and  its  future  growth  and  influence. 

It  is  therefore  eminently  fitting  that  we  recall  the  past 
with  deep  gratitude  and  thanksgiving,  while  we  also  look 
forward  to  the  coming  years  with  great  hope  and  confidence. 

These  beautiful  and  commodious  rooms  which  have  been 
recently  provided  for  the  Sunday  School,  and  which  are 
unsurpassed  in  their  convenience  and  complete  equipment, 
will  contribute  greatly  to  its  increasing  usefulness  and  success. 

The  advanced  methods  of  imparting  instruction  and  in 


61 

training  the  minds  of  children  which  are  now  employed  in 
secular  education,  are  becoming  more  and  more  prevalent 
in  the  biblical  study  and  religious  training  of  the  Sunday  School, 
and  it  may  be  confidently  expected  that  the  great  Sunday  School 
movement  whose  early  history  we  have  reviewed,  will  go  for- 
ward with  increasing  strength  and  influence. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  I  have  heard  ministers  say  that  they  were  living  in 
the  shadow  of  the  men  who  preceded  them.  I  wish  to  bear  witness  to  the 
fact  that  I  live  in  the  sunshine  of  my  predecessors.  I  feel  that  I  have  entered 
into  their  labors. 

Our  interests  have  become  world-wide,  for  the  people  from  this  church 
have  gone  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Our  missionaries  are  in  Africa  and  in 
Asia;  some  of  the  members  of  this  church  have  moved  far  away;  and  one 
of  its  pastors  had  gone  across  the  sea.  We  extended  to  him  an  invitation 
to  return  for  this  occasion,  and  the  tie  that  bound  him  to  the  church  was 
so  strong  that  he  responded  to  the  invitation  and  has  come  this  great  dis- 
tance to  be  with  us  on  this  joyous  occasion,  and  it  gives  me  great  pleasure 
to  present  to  you  that  pastor  of  this  church,  the  Rev.  G.  Henry  Sandwell 
of  the  Leytonstone  Congregational  Church  of  London,  England. 

ADDRESS  OF  REV.  G.  HENRY  SANDWELL 

My  dear  Mr.  Maier,  and  my  dear  friends  and  old  parish- 
ioners: It  would  indeed  be  difficult  for  me  to-night  to  express 
the  joy  with  which  I  have  crossed  the  Atlantic  to  attend  the 
services  of  the  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary  of  this 
church.  You  can  well  imagine  that  it  would  need  a  strong 
magnet  to  draw  one  so  far  across  the  bosom  of  the  deep,  and 
I  know  of  only  one  magnet  strong  enough,  and  that  is  the  mag- 
net of  love.  Impelled  by  that  feeling  and  the  desire  to  see 
my  old  friends  again,  I  most  joyfully  accepted  the  invitation 
of  this  church  and  am  indeed  glad  to  be  here  to  look  into  your 
faces  again  to-night.  I  take  it  that  the  exercises  of  to-day 
are  designed  not  merely  for  mutual  congratulation,  but  to 
suggest  to  us  from  the  story  of  the  past,  incentives  to  present 
duty,  and  divine  hopes  for  the  years  to  come.  Of  one  thing 
I  think  we  may  feel  perfectly  certain,  and  that  is  that  the 
history  of  the  past  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  goes  to  prove 
that  the  old  First  Church  of  New  Britain  has  always  been  a 
live  church,  filled  with  spiritual  power,  and  radiating  divine 
and  spiritual  influences  around  it  in  this  city  in  which  it  was 
placed.  How  do  I  know  that?  Well,  there  are  certain  signs, 
infallible  signs,  of  a  live  chm'ch.  A  live  church  is  always 
altruistic.  It  does  not  exist  for  itself,  it  does  not  exist  simply 
to  occupy  its  comfortable  cushioned  pews,  to  doze  itself  into 


Rkv.  G.   Hknkv  Sandwkll 


63 

slumber  Sunday  after  Sunday,  to  enjoy  all  the  privileges  of 
an  equipment  such  as  you  possess  in  this  building.  A  live 
church  exists  for  others.  It  exists  because  it  has  accepted 
the  gi-eat  commission  to  preach  the  Gospel,  to  proclaim  to 
the  world  the  inexhaustible  riches  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  it  is 
less  concerned  about  its  continuity,  less  concerned  that  it 
has  existed  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  less  concerned  about 
its  dignity,  than  it  is  about  its  usefulness.  That,  I  take  it, 
is  the  first  sign  of  a  real  live  church. 

Then  a  live  church  always  cares  for  the  young.  There  are 
churches  which  have  not  cared  for  the  young.  They  have  been 
content  to  enjoy  the  privileges  and  blessings  of  the  Gospel 
and  in  past  years  they  often  frowned  upon  the  work  of  the 
Sunday  School  when  that  work  was  first  started.  But 
it  was  characteristic  of  this  church  that  as  soon  as  the 
Sunday  School  idea  came  into  its  possession  it  was  carried 
into  usefulness,  and  the  first  Sunday  School  in  this  state,  I 
believe,  was  started  in  connection  with  this  church.  A  live 
church  always  realizes  that  the  Sunday  School  is  the  nursery 
of  the  church,  the  true  reservoir  of  its  strength. 

Then  a  live  church  is  a  missionary  church.  I  was  pleased 
to  hear  this  morning  in  that  most  admirable  historical  address 
of  your  pastor  that  this  church  has  always  been  a  missionaiy 
church.  I  do  not  think  that  a  church  has  any  right  to  exist 
that  is  not  a  missionary  church.  I  do  not  understand  the 
Christians  who  repudiate  the  commission  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature,"  and  I  cannot 
understand  the  consistency  of  Christian  men  and  women  who 
take  all  that  God  has  given  them  and  yet  are  indifi'erent  to 
the  heathen  people  who  are  about  their  very  doors,  and  who 
live  in  such  darkness  in  foreign  lands.  This  church  has  shown 
by  its  missionary  spirit  that  it  is  a  live  church. 

Then  a  truly  live  church  is  always  loyal  to  its  Divine  Lord. 
It  is  always  loyal  in  claiming  the  supremacy  of  Jesus  Christ 
as  the  Head  of  the  Church,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  who  came 
into  the  world  to  seek  and  to  save  the  lost.  I  think  this 
church  in  New  Britain  in  all  these  particulars  has  proved 
itself  to  be  very  much  alive.  Our  story  of  (he  past  is  one,  I 
think,  of  which  we  may  rea.sonably  be  proud.  You  note  I 
say  "our  story,"  for  in  coming  back  to  you  I  fed  that  I  am 
at  least  for  a  little  while  one  of  you,  and  apart  from  thai,  I 
.shall  always  feel  that  I  am  a  member  of  this  church,  as  I  feel 


64 

myself  to  be  a  member  of  every  true  spiritual  church  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

But  if  there  is  one  thing  more  certain  than  another  in 
this  world,  it  is  that  no  institution  and  no  individual  can  live 
in  or  upon  the  past,  whatever  that  past  has  been,  however 
noble,  however  successful,  however  great  its  achievements. 
Some  churches  have  tried  the  experiment  of  living  in  and  upon 
the  past,  and  what  a  wretched  failure  they  have  made  of  the  task. 
Nothing  in  nature  lives  in  the  past.  It  is  all  present  and  all 
new;  new  sap,  new  leaves,  new  buds,  new  blossoms.  Last 
year's  leaves  and  flowers  are  dead  and  gone  and  are  forgotten, 
and  so  are  our  deeds  and  our  accomplishments,  and  it  will 
be  well  for  us  to  avoid  the  danger  of  thinking  too  much  and 
of  building  too  much  upon  the  achievements  of  the  last  century 
and  a  half.  Let  us  "forget  the  things  which  are  behind  and  reach 
forth  unto  those  things  which  are  before."  But  to  be  able 
to  use  the  present  we  must  know  something  of  its  conditions 
and  something  of  its  circumstances.  What  is  the  condition 
of  the  Christian  church  to-day?  I  suppose  the  answer  to 
that  question  would  largely  depend  upon  the  general  view  that 
you  would  take  of  things.  If  you  are  a  pessimist  you  would 
say  that  the  condition  of  the  Christian  church  was  a  gloomy 
one  and  that  the  former  days  were  better  than  these,  but  if  you 
are  an  optimist,  I  believe  you  would  say  that  never  was  the 
Christian  church  in  better  form  or  better  able  to  do  the  work 
that  our  Savior  gave  us  to  do  than  to-day.  I  am  an  optimist 
of  the  optimists,  and  I  think  the  present  days  are  better  than 
they  ever  were  before.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  Christian 
church  is  just  coming  into  her  heritage,  she  is  beginning  to 
take  in  the  true  perspective.  For  example,  she  is  learning 
at  last  that  form  is  nothing,  absolutely  nothing;  that  the 
spirit  is  everything.  She  is  learning  that  the  life  of  her  members 
is  more  important  than  their  creed — important  as  their  creed 
in  certain  respects  may  be.  And  she  is  learning  that  true 
religion  is  the  immolation  of  self — living  for  others  as  Christ 
lived  for  others  when  He  walked  this  earth.  And  moreover, 
the  church  is  learning  to-day  that  God's  Fatherhood  involves 
man's  universal  brotherhood,  and  that  there  is  no  man  in  the 
world,  whatever  his  creed,  his  nationality,  or  his  color,  who  is 
not  our  brother — a  brother  for  whom  Christ  died.  And  then 
out  of  these  divine  truths  of  fatherhood  and  brotherhood  has 
sprung  the  thought,   that  wonderful  thought  which  has  so 


65 

sweetened  modern  life,  that  God  desires  the  happiness  of  man, 
that  He  is  not  a  cruel  judge  seated  upon  a  throne  judging  our 
every  action,  waiting  to  pounce  upon  us  and  punish  us  and 
at  last  cast  us  down  into  an  endless  perdition,  but  that  he 
loves  us  and  wants  us  to  be  happy ;  not  in  that  other  world 
alone,  but  that  He  wants  us  to  be  happy  here.  The  sour 
dreams  of  mediaevalism,  thank  God,  are  passing  away.  God 
is  not  pleased  with  the  suppression  but  rather  with  the  satis- 
faction of  our  human  nature.  The  mother  caring  for  her 
children,  watching  over  the  welfare  of  her  home,  the  mother, 
not  the  cloistered  nun,  God  loves  to  see,  and  it  is  upon  the 
home  and  not  upon  the  monastery  that  God's  blessing  rests 
to-da3^  Are  j^ou  prepared  to  take  your  part  in  this  evangel, 
Brothers?  To  teach  these  great  truths,  to  live  them  in  your 
daily  lives?  If  you  are,  then  you  may  see  your  work.  It 
is  to  preach  and  live  the  Gospel  of  God's  love.  It  is  to  sanctify 
with  the  church's  blessing  the  common  lives  of  the  people.  It  is 
to  permeate  with  the  Christ  spirit  the  social,  the  political,  and 
the  intellectual  life  of  the  world  until  men  "are  brothers  all, 
in  a  world  of  peace  and  love."  It  is  a  greater  and  broader 
work  than  our  fathers  ever  dreamed  of,  for  we  live  in  a  wider 
and  a  broader  age.  I  try  to  think  sometimes  of  what  the 
future  has  in  store  for  this  world  and  for  the  church  of  Christ. 
And  oh!  I  wish  I  were  young  enough  to  believe  that  I  should 
see  the  fulfilment  of  my  vision.  Have  you  ever  watched  the 
sunrise  upon  a  snow-clad  Alpine  range?  I  have,  and  it  has 
always  seemed  to  me  to  symbolize  the  coming  of  that  golden 
day  of  emancipation  and  light  which  to  my  faith  is  dawning 
upon  our  world  to-day.  First  the  slender  peaks  alone  are 
touched  with  the  torch  of  fire,  then  slowly  down  the  mountain 
slopes  come  the  crimson  and  the  gold,  until  at  last  the  whole 
valley  is  bathed  in  the  full  splendor  of  the  day.  So  must  it 
be  with  our  world.  Our  fathers  saw  only  the  light  on  the 
snowy  summits.  They  did  see  it  and  we  are  glad.  We  have 
the  fuller  light  and  soon  it  will  be  high  noon.  We  shall  then 
have  reached  that  "one  far-off  divine  event,  to  which  the  whole 
creation  moves."  Oh,  my  brothers,  never  let  faith  in  the 
future  desert  your  minds.  "The  best  is  yet  to  be,"  says 
Browning,  and  it  is  in  harmony  with  all  the  teachings  of  the 
Bible  and  with  all  the  hopes  of  the  human  spirit.  The  best 
is  yet  to  be.  I  am  grateful  for  the  pa.st,  but  I  am  looking 
always  to  the  future,  and  to  you,  members  of  this  ancient  and 


66 

honored  church,  I  bring  this  word  of  hope  and  courage.  Be- 
lieve in  the  future.  Beheve  in  the  grandeur  of  your  destiny, 
in  the  magnitude  and  splendor  of  the  work  that  God  has  given 
you  to  do,  and  that  God  will  help  you  to  accomplish  it. 

I  thought  yesterday  as  I  stood  by  that  boulder  of  granite, 
how  much  it  symbolized  the  strength  of  the  church  of  Jesus 
Christ.  "Thou  art  Peter,  the  rock,  and  upon  this  rock  will 
I  build  my  church."  The  rock  you  have  placed  yonder  sym- 
bolizes the  strength  with  which  he  has  endowed  this  church. 
It  symbolizes  the  future,  that  while  the  world  remains,  this 
divine  Gospel  shall  be  in  the  mouth  of  your  teachers  and 
preachers,  God's  message  to  you,  and  God's  call  to  live  the 
higher  and  better  life.  In  ancient  times  they  used  to  call  men 
to  swear  allegiance  to  kings  or  to  some  great  cause,  and  those 
who  were  so  consecrated  were  expected  to  be  faithful  and  loyal 
unto  death.  Jesus  Christ  has  called  us  unto  the  fellowship 
of  this  church.  He  has  said,  "Be  ye  faithful  unto  death  and 
I  will  give  you  a  crown  of  life." 

I  call  you  to-night  as  I  have  often  done  before,  to  consecrate 
yourselves  afresh  to  the  service  of  humanity  and  the  honor 
of  your  Lord.  I  call  you  to  give  yourselves,  and  I  pray  that 
this  anniversary  may  be  the  signal  for  a  new  consecration  to 
the  service  of  man  and  to  the  worship  of  God  in  connection 
with  this  honored  and  holy  sanctuary. 

Oh,  who  would  not  a  Champion  be, 
In  this  the  lordlier  chivalry  ? 
Uprouse  ye  then,  brave  brother  band, 
With  honest  heart  and  working  hand. 
We  are  but  few,  toil-tried,  but  true, 
And  hearts  beat  high  to  dare  and  do. 
Eyes  full  of  heart-break  with  us  plead, 
And  watchers  weep  and  martyrs  bleed. 

We  will,  we  will,  brave  champions  be, 
In  this,  the  lordlier  Chivalry ! 


Rev.  John  H.  Denison,  D.D. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  Thirty-seven  years  ago  there  came  a  slender  young 
man  into  this  city  to  be  pastor  of  this  church.  Thirty  years  ago  he  left, 
liaving  given  all  of  his  strength  into  his  services  for  this  church.  But  the 
people  have  not  let  him  go  out  of  their  affections  or  of  their  lives.  More 
than  half  of  this  church  probably  never  knew  him  as  the  minister  of  the 
church,  and  yet  I  venture  to  say  that  there  is  not  a  member  of  this  church 
who  has  not  been  influenced  by  the  ministry  of  the  Rev.  John  H.  Denison, 
D.  D.,  of  Williamstown,  Mass. 

ADDRESS  OF  REV.  JOHN  H.  DENISON,  D.  D. 

The  pulpit  seems  somewhat  of  a  strange  place  to  me  after 
these  years  of  devotion  to  quiet  study.  In  fact  I  feel  as  though  I 
had  got  my  hand  somewhat  out,  as  it  were,  of  the  business. 
But  it  is  a  great  delight  to  look  this  church  in  the  face  again 
and  to  realize  as  I  sat  down  to  the  communion  table  this 
morning,  as  I  pressed  the  hands  of  Christian  brothers  and  sis- 
ters afterwards,  what  a  genuine,  real  thing  it  is  that  we  share 
the  life  of  Christ.  Now  this  is  a  reminiscent  occasion.  It 
is  as  though  God  had  spoken  to  us  after  the  fashion  in  which 
He  spoke  to  the  Children  of  Israel,  saying,  "Look  back;  con- 
sider Abraham  your  father  and  the  rock  pit  out  of  which  you 
were  digged."  Yesterday  we  devoted  some  time  to  that 
consideration,  and  I  should  like  to  cany  it  a  little  further 
this  day  in  a  somewhat  personal  manner,  for  the  thought 
of  the  Pilgrims  or  Puritans  always  deeply  stirs  my  heart.  I 
am  myself,  although  perhaps  unworthy  of  the  name,  a  belated 
Puritan.  It  is  true  that  I  do  not  have  in  myself  the  blood 
or  iron  that  my  ancestor  carried  in  his  veins  when  he  fought 
for  liberty  and  for  religion  at  Cromwell's  side,  but  my 
heart  is  still  on  fire  with  the  pulse-beat  of  the  great  Puritans 
that  I  came  in  contact  with  in  my  early  life.  They  were  strong 
men.  They  have  been  vividly  pictured  in  the  account  that 
was  given  of  them  by  your  fellow-townsman  when  he  presented 
the  granite  boulder.  Perhaps  the  term  rock  pit  would  more 
fitly  apply  to  them  than  to  any  other  group  of  men  of  recent 
times.  I  am  not  sure  that  it  would  not  better  apply  to  them 
than  to  any  group  of  religious  men  of  any  time,  unless  we  except 


68 

the  apostolic  group.  They  were  not  men  easily  moved.  There 
was  about  them  something  that  environment  could  not  con- 
quer. Nay,  they  were  the  conquerors  of  environment.  The 
worst  surroundings  only  brought  out  in  them  grander  traits. 
Now  there  was  a  ground  for  this.  There  was  about  them 
that  moral  certitude  which  it  seems  to  me  alone  can  give  the 
kind  of  steadiness,  the  immovable  character,  the  lofty  person- 
ality which  can  at  all  times  face  the  worst  and  conquer  it. 
What  was  this  certitude  based  upon?  I  wish  to  present  to 
you  several  characteristics  that  seem  to  me  to  lie  at  the  bottom 
of  this  rock-like  assurance  of  the  Puritan  character. 

The  first  was,  as  it  seems  to  me,  the  demand  for  worship 
in  the  Puritan  heart.  He  was  a  true  child  of  the  reformation 
in  this  respect.  The  people  round  about  him,  the  people  of 
the  old  church,  looked  on  worship  as  an  arbitrary  thing,  as 
a  formal  duty,  an  obligation  to  a  master.  With  the  Puritan 
it  was  far  more  than  that.  It  was  a  live  instinct.  It  was  an 
organic  necessity.  To  him,  worship  was  an  act  of  valuation, 
not  a  bowing  down  "  of  the  head  like  the  bulrush."  It  was  an 
intelligent  and  voluntary  act.  It  was  an  act  of  valuation, 
of  sujDreme  appraisal.  He  must  know  the  greatest.  "He 
needs  must  love  the  greatest  when  he  imew  the  greatest." 
That  seems  to  me  to  be  the  underlying  fact  about  the  Puritans. 
Now  we  find  that  sort  of  structural  instinct  in  nature.  He 
didn't  get  that  from  his  theology.  Get  that  out  of  your  mind. 
Theology  never  gives  men  that  tremendous  guiding  necessity 
for  a  thing  which  led  our  fathers  to  face  the  sea,  the  wilderness, 
the  savages,  that  they  might  have  freedom  to  worship.  There 
is  a  kind  of  primal,  organic  instinct  that  knows  its  own  path. 
The  babe  has  it  when  it  lifts  up  its  new-born  voice  in  an  appeal 
to  the  mother  heart.  Tennyson  has  spoken  of  the  babe  as 
"An  infant  crying  in  the  night:  An  infant  crying  for  the  hght: 
And  with  no  language  but  a  cry."  But  he  is  wrong  about 
one  thing, — it  is  not  crying  for  the  light,  it  has  a  light  sure  and 
steadfast  that  lights  every  babe  that  comes  into  the  world, 
a  light  that  shows  it  what  to  do,  and  so  it  sends  up  its  appeal 
and  stretches  out  its  little  hand  for  its  mother's  breast.  How 
does  it  know?  It  has  a  postulate  of  its  own.  God  put  that 
postulate  there.  So  it  is  with  the  oak  tree.  Put  the  acorn 
into  the  ground  and  what  does  it  do?  Have  you  got  to  teach 
it  what  to  do?  Have  you  got  to  approach  it  with  science, 
demonstration,  dogma,  theory?    No.     It  has  an  inner  light. 


69 

Instantly  it  begins  to  put  down  its  little  rootlet  and  its  tiny- 
fibers  that  it  may  grasp  the  nutriment  which  it  knows  to  be 
there.  But  that  is  not  enough.  No,  it  must  toil  sunward, 
for  above  the  soil  it  knows  there  is  a  realm  of  light  to  which 
it  must  needs  penetrate  and  in  which  it  must  live,  and  so  it 
makes  that  upward  push,  that  wondrous,  that  dead-right  push 
up  through  the  heavy  mould  against  the  obstacles  round  about, 
until  at  last  it  comes  out  into  the  sunlit  air,  under  the  dew  and 
the  rain  in  the  upper  world  to  which  it  belongs.  Now  that 
was  the  Puritan  idea  of  worship.  His  strong  virile  nature  did 
indeed  take  an  intense,  Anglo-Saxon  grip  on  environment. 
Yet  how  small  that  matter  of  environment  was  to  him  rela- 
tively. To  us  environment  is  the  whole  thing.  We  speak  as 
though  if  we  could  only  get  a  man  into  the  right  surroundings 
and  give  him  a  bath  he  would  be  a  Christian  and  a  man  forever. 
Well,  to  the  Puritan  that  was  nothing  compared  with  the 
upward  push, — the  push  for  a  supreme  object  of  valuation, 
for  a  God  whom  he  could  love  and  glorify.  To  this  tremendous 
necessity,  the  grasp  on  environment,  important  as  it  was, 
must  needs  be  absolutely  subordinated  and  put  under  foot, 
nay!  even  hated  and  scorned  compared  with  that  upward  push 
for  One  whom  he  could  love  absolutely,  to  whose  fatherly  will 
and  parental  love  he  could  give  over  soul  and  body  and  pos- 
sessions. That,  I  say,  was  the  Puritan  worship.  That,  and 
that  only,  was  life  to  him.  Not  self-abnegation  merely,  but 
self-abnegation  that  he  might  find  Him  into  whose  arms  he 
might  give  himself  forever  because  those  arms  were  Right- 
eousness and  Love.  That  also  was  the  Puritan  faith.  He 
put  his  grandest  structural  instinct  to  the  test.  He  insisted 
on  a  religious  experience  as  the  one  supreme  necessity  of  life. 
Not  only  did  he  subordinate  everything  to  this  upward  push, 
but  through  worship  he  found  his  God  and  thus  describes 
Him.  "God,"  he  says,  (and  you  must  remember  that  this 
description  is  out  of  his  worshiping  experience)  — "God," 
he  says,  "is  a  being  infinite,  eternal,  and  unchangeable  in 
His  being,  wisdom,  power,  holiness,  justice,  goodness  and 
truth."  And  as  he  clung  to  that  God  and  glorified  Him  and 
rejoiced  to  be  His  servant,  (it  seems  to  me  as  I  look  back  upon 
him)  there  came  upon  him  some  of  that  selfsame  goodness, 
holiness,  justice,  unchangeableness  and  truth,  and  that  that 
was  what  made  him  the  rock  quarry  that  ho  wa.s.  You  may 
remember,   too,  a  fact  that  we  are  prone  to  forget  to-day, 


70 

that  to  the  Puritan  it  was  not  merely  essential  that  he  must 
make  the  upward  push,  must  make  the  great  appraisal,  must 
find  the  supreme  object  of  valuation  or  all  was  lost, — you  may 
remember  that  it  was  not  only  that,  but  that  it  was  God  or 
hell  to  him.  Marcus  Aurelius  said  that  one  of  the  things 
that  he  felt  thankful  for  was  that  he  had  never  been  sent  to 
a  common  school  but  had  a  private  tutor.  Now  the  common 
schools  were  not  as  good  then  as  they  are  now.  People  con- 
gratulate themselves  on  very  different  things.  You  may 
think  it  singular,  but  I  want  to  bear  my  testimony  to  one  thing 
that  the  world  scoffs  at.  I  thank  God  that  as  a  child  I  was 
brought  up  to  face  that  great  Puritan  alternative,  God  or 
hell.  I  thank  God  that  I  was  brought  up  to  face  the  issues 
of  eternity.  This  may  not  seem  a  "healthy  minded"  religion. 
It  may  appear  a  terrible  thing  for  a  young,  sensitive  child  to 
be  made  to  face,  and  I  know  very  well  that  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  put  heaven  first  because.  He  being  full  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  that  shone  out  of  His  eye  and  went  to  His  very  finger 
tips  in  healing  and  in  power,  could  present  heaven  first,  and 
the  powers  of  the  world  to  come,  but  it  has  always  seemed  to 
me  as  I  look  back  on  it,  that,  taking  things  as  they  were  then 
and  are  even  now,  if  I  had  not  been  made  to  face  that  dread 
alternative  as  the  Puritans  had  to  face  it,  I  would  never  have 
made  that  great  upward  push  which  I  felt  forced  to  make  when 
I  was  only  fourteen  years  old.  Now  of  course  I  don't  pretend 
to  say  that  in  the  world  of  spirits  there  is  a  literal  burning  of 
fire  and  brimstone.  No,  that  expression  seems  to  rne  a  symbol. 
Jesus  describes  it  in  the  parable  of  the  rich  man  as  a  horrible 
thirst  caused  by  a  selfish  life — living  for  self.  We  talk  of 
living  for  self,  but  we  pass  lightly  over  it  as  though  it  were  a 
small  affair  after  all.  We  don't  take  in  its  monstrous  abnor- 
mality. I  recall  many  years  ago  standing  in  one  of  the  great 
galleries  at  Rome  and  alongside  of  me  was  a  lady  looking  at 
one  of  the  pictures  (by  Fra  Angelico),  of  the  tortures  of  hell, 
and  she  said  to  me,  "How  dare  any  man  draw  such  a  picture 
for  his  fellow  men  to  look  at?"  But  I  said  to  her,  "Well,  I 
don't  know;  it  depends  upon  what  you  imagine  it  to  be  a 
picture  of.  If  it  is  a  picture  of  selfishness  it  doesn't  seem  to 
me  to  be  drawn  too  strong."  Take  all  the  serpents  that  hiss, 
the  fangs  that  poison,  the  live  coals  that  burn,  the  dragons 
that  devour,  — what  are  they  to  selfishness?  Nothing  in  this 
world  can  save  a  soul  from  that  hell  but  the  surrender  of  self 


71 

to  Him  who  is  the  soul's  great  object  of  love  and  who  is  the 
great  Lover  of  the  soul. 

Another  characteristic  of  the  Puritan,  as  it  seems  to  me, 
was  his  view  of  the  heart,  of  the  human  heart.  The  Puritan 
did  not  build  his  foundation  upon  his  theology,  that  was 
merely  his  explanation.  That  was  merely  his  philosophy  of 
it.  And  often  his  philosophy  appeared  to  carry  him  at  the 
moment  farther  away  from  his  faith.  What  the  Puritan 
regarded  and  considered  to  be  the  organ  by  which  he  knew 
God  and  by  which  he  realized  the  heavenly  world  was  the 
heart.  I  was  very  much  interested  some  time  ago,  as  I  suppose 
many  of  you  may  have  been,  to  read  a  little  book  by  the  famous 
physician  Dr.  Osier,  on  immortality.  Well,  the  doctor  could 
find  precious  little  proof  of  immortality.  He  worked  away 
with  science  on  the  question,  but  he  found  very  little  to 
help  him,  because  science  is  compounded  of  intellect  and  sense 
observation.  Then  he  turned  to  the  heart  and  he  found  some 
things  about  the  heart.  He  said,  in  this  age  of  the  world  it 
seems  as  though  science  reigns  when  we  consider  what  it 
accomplishes,  but  when  we  get  down  to  practical  human  lives 
it  is  the  heart  that  reigns,  because  men  are  under  the  influence 
of  prejudice  and  ignorance.  So  the  heart  controls.  And  I 
said  as  I  read  it,  "so  the  heart  controls."  It  is  a  strange  thing 
that  the  intellect  and  senses  should  be  the  only  reliable  mechan- 
ism for  knowing  truth  and  yet  we  be  made  so  that  the  heart 
controls.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  the  heart  controls  not 
because  of  ignorance,  not  because  of  prejudice,  but  because 
the  heart  alone  can  value.  The  intellect  cannot  value  any- 
thing. It  cannot  appraise,  for  it  cannot  feel.  The  heart 
alone  values,  because  it  only  feels.  And  the  Puritan  was  right 
when  his  instinct  told  him  that  the  heart  alone  could  find.  The 
heart  alone  knows.  Therefore  the  heart  alone  can  know  great 
literature.  We  cannot  know  the  Bible  by  the  intellect  alone, 
we  cannot  know  it  by  science;  the  Bible  is  great  literature,  and 
literature  is  life,  it  is  human  life,  projected  into  words  that 
live  and  bum  with  the  fire  of  life.  You  cannot  describe  litera- 
ture by  the  intellect  alone  or  describe  humanity  or  life  by 
intellect  alone,  and  yet  it  is  quite  true  that  the  human  heart 
does  deceive,  does  often  deceive.  Dr.  Osier  says  that  "with 
the  heart  man  believes  unto  righteousness,  and  yet  with  the 
heart  man  believeth  unto  every  possible  vagary."  Now  the 
Puritan  realized  this,  and  the  great  thing  he  tried  to  reach  in 


72 

the  church  was  a  change  of  heart,  a  purification  of  the  emotional 
nature,  by  giving  the  heart  to  God  in  Christ,  because  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  is  a  revelation  of  the  heart  of  God  pierced  by 
man's  sin.  It  is  the  revelation  of  the  heart  of  God  to  the  heart 
of  man,  and  it  is  only  as  the  heart  of  man  is  touched,  touched 
by  the  humanized  heart  of  God,  that  he  is  able  to  give  himself 
up  wholly  and  unreservedly  to  the  will  of  God,  and  is  free  from 
all  need  of  penalty  or  coercion. 

Now  I  have  mentioned  these  points.  There  is  one  other 
point  which  I  will  mention  briefly,  and  that  is,  the  fact  that 
the  Puritan  religion  was  a  face  to  face  life.  Face  to  face  with 
God.  When  Moses  was  leading  the  Children  of  Israel  through 
the  wilderness  you  may  remember  that  there  came  to  him  a 
great  crisis.  He  began  to  realize  that  he  must  get  nearer  to 
God  again,  that  he  must  come  again  face  to  face  with  God 
upon  the  Mount.  Yet  it  was  a  critical  time.  Could  he  leave? 
Could  he  take  the  risk?  It  was  perilous.  Would  not  Israel 
if  abandoned  by  him  even  for  a  brief  period  relapse  helplessly 
into  idolatry?  But  he  saw  that  he  must  take  the  risk.  Forty 
days  he  remained  with  God  upon  the  Mount,  till  his  soul  was 
filled  with  the  Divine  love.  Then  he  came  dov/n,  and  as  he 
came  down  Israel  was  worshiping  the  golden  calf.  You 
recall  that  in  his  grand  despair  he  dashed  in  pieces  the  tables 
of  stone  that  had  been  given  him  on  the  Mount  as  if  to  say, 
"What  is  the  use  of  law,  what  is  the  use  of  religion,  unless  one 
is  face  to  face  with  God,"  and  then  you  recall  that  he  took  the 
tabernacle,  placed  it  in  the  camp  where  everyone  could  see 
it,  and  then  he  entered  into  it.  He  had  made  up  his  mind 
that  his  face  to  face  communion  with  God  had  got  to  be  taken 
down  from  the  Mount  to  human  life.  And  you  recall  how  as 
the  tent  stood  there  the  cloud  of  God's  presence  hovered  over  it 
and  whosoever  sought  the  Lord  entered  the  tent.  And  Moses 
talked  with  God  face  to  face  as  with  a  friend.  That  is  the 
primal  cell  of  spiritual  life.  Some  one  said  of  a  certain  great 
instructor  that  a  college  education  consisted  of  having  him 
at  one  end  of  a  log  and  the  student  at  the  other.  Let  me  say 
that  religion,  however  it  may  be  expanded,  religion  at  its  heart 
must  always  consist  of  a  man  who  has  come  down  from  the 
Mount  carrying  God's  glory  in  his  heart,  talking  with  him  face 
to  face  as  with  a  friend,  and  a  true  church  is  a  group  of  men 
gathered  about  such  a  friend  of  God  and  sharing  his  life.  That 
is  the  primal  cell  of  spiritual  life,  and,  dear  friends,  I  say  what- 


73 

ever  form  the  religion  of  the  future  may  take,  unless  it  has  in 
it  this  primal  cell,  this  face  to  face  religion,  that  shares  the 
life  of  God,  it  will  be  a  dead  cell.  There  will  come  out  of  it 
no  red  corpuscles  to  vitalize  humanity. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  I  was  told  before  I  came  to  this  church  that  I  was 
coming  to  follow  a  noble  band  of  ministers.  I  believed  it  then.  I  believe 
it  more  to-night.  I  was  told  that  I  was  coming  to  a  church  where  pulpit 
orators  were  well-known;  where  men  of  deep  spiritual  experiences  had  brok- 
en to  the  people  the  bread  of  life.  I  acknowledge  it  discouraged  me  some, 
but  through  the  kindness  of  the  people  they  have  endured.  I  have  the 
pleasure  now  of  introducing  to  you  one  of  the  strong  pulpit  orators  that 
this  church  has  had,  one  of  the  strongest  that  she  has  had  in  the  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years  of  her  experience — the  Rev.  William  Burnet 
Wright,  D.  D.,  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

ADDRESS  OF  REV.  WILLIAM  BURNET  WRIGHT,  D.  D. 

Admiration  of  excellence  is  the  only  cord  that  can  draw 
men  together  to  commemorate  past  events.  They  often  com- 
bine to  do  vile  things;  never  to  celebrate  them.  We  have 
been  as  diligent  in  forgetting  March  12,  1846  and  what  our 
fathers  did  that  day  to  little  Mexico,  as  in  remembering  July 
4th,  1776  and  what  our  forefathers  did  that  day  to  Great 
Britain.  Twenty-five  members  of  the  present  Senate  of  New 
York,  acting  in  the  interest  and  at  the  instigation  of  notorious 
gamblers,  recently  united  to  undermine  the  constitution  they 
had  sworn  to  uphold;  to  thwart  the  will  of  the  constituents 
they  were  elected  to  represent,  and  to  perpetuate  an  infamy 
which  for  thirteen  years  has  disgraced  the  state  whose  honor 
ought  to  be  to  them  more  precious  than  life.  This  the  twenty- 
five  united  to  do. 

But  if,  one  hundred  and  fifty  years,  or  months  or  even 
weeks  from  now,  the  twenty-five  or  their  descendants  shall 
be  invited  to  come  together  and  celebrate  that  event,  it  will 
be  found,  I  think,  that  every  one  of  them  has  bought  a  piece 
of  ground,  or  five  yoke  of  oxen,  or  married  a  wife,  if  indeed 
any  one  of  them  shall  be  able  to  find  a  woman  that  will  have 
him,  which  my  respect  for  the  sex  forces  me  to  believe  exceed- 
ingly doubtful.  Base  motives  can  make  men  do  what  they 
know  to  be  dastardly.  It  cannot  make  them  enjoy  reflecting 
upon  it. 

Now  admiration  of  excellence  is  the  foundation  of  all 
worthy  character.     Without  it  worship  of  God  is  pharisaism; 


Rkv.  William  Biknkt  Wiskmit,  D.I). 


76 

religion  a  pretense.  Such  admiration  has  drawn  us  together 
to-night,  and  we  are  already  better  men  and  women  for  having 
yielded  to  its  influence.  But  I  would  have  you  also  observe 
that  this  virtue,  genuine  admiration  for  real  worth,  is  precisely 
the  virtue  most  needed  and  rarest  in  our  country  to-day. 
Admiration  of  wealth,  however  won,  has  been  common.  It 
has  connipted  the  ballot,  made  the  giving  and  taking  of  bribes 
in  municipalities  and  legislatures  facile,  and  set  a  dangerous 
standard  for  young  men  in  active  life.  Integrity  in  homespun 
is  less  frequently  invited  to  the  feasts  of  our  rulers  and  receives 
fewer  greetings  in  the  market  places  than  expediency  in  broad- 
cloth, and  what  the  worshipers  of  mammon  call  "national 
prosperity"  is  the  deity  still  most  adored.  In  short,  we  have 
gone  a  considerable  distance  on  the  broad  road  along  which 
wealthy  nations  before  us  have  reached  destruction.  But 
these  last  years  God  has  interfered  to  check  the  downward 
course.  He  has  sent  us  a  few  men,  most  of  them  young,  who 
stand  in  political  affairs  like  Gibraltar  for  righteousness.  In 
most  of  our  cities  and  states  they  shine  as  stars  in  a  dark  night. 
The  politicians  who  manipulate  elections  do  not  understand 
them.  They  can  understand  no  one  who  regards  office  as  a 
trust  and  not  a  perquisite;  who  will  not  dicker  and  cannot  be 
bribed  or  fooled  or  scared.  They  mock  therefore  at  these 
regenerators  as  others  of  their  breed  wagged  their  heads  at 
Christ. 

The  God-inspired  men  are  relatively  few.  The  number 
of  the  other  kind  is  appallingly  large.  As  recent  events  in 
New  York  City  and  State,  in  St.  Louis,  in  San  Francisco,  have 
shown,  the  effectiveness  of  the  good  men  depends  upon  the 
degree  in  which  admiration  impels  the  rest  of  us  to  strengthen 
their  hands.  The  extent  to  which  that  is  done  by  the  rank 
and  file  of  us  will  decide  whether  our  institutions  shall  with- 
stand the  storm  that  threatens  them  or  go  down  as  a  house 
built  upon  the  sand. 

Now  every  one  attending  this  convention  is  here  because 
he  admires  in  the  founders  of  this  church  those  qualities  which 
God  is  calling  us  all  to  admire,  imitate  and  re-enforco  by  our 
co-operation,  in  the  leaders  he  has  sent  us  this  April,  1908. 
I  say  the  qualities  shown  by  the  founders  of  this  church,  for 
this  church  you  will  remember  was  once  New  Britain.  The 
impulses  which  have  made  your  city  beautiful  and  strong 
came  from  those  men  of  God  whose  first  sacraments  we  have 


76 

assembled  to  commemorate.     Of  all  cities  I  have  known  or 
heard  of,  New  Britain  seems  to  me  the  most  accurate  repre- 
sentative of  the  genius  of  New  England.     By  the  genius  of 
New  England  I  mean  the  quality  which  has  made  her  with  her 
sterile  soil  what  New  England  is;  while  the  lack  of  it  has  made 
South  America  with  her  immense  fertility  and  her  mines  of 
silver,  gold,  and  rubies,  what  South  America  is.     Why  the 
creators  of  New  Britain  settled  here  I  do  not  know.     I  think, 
and  the  more  I  think  the  surer  I  am  the  thought  is  true,  that 
God  brought  them  hither  to  raise  a  monument  proclaiming 
to  posterity  that  what  makes  prosperity  in  communities  is 
not  favorable  circumstances  but  true  men.     There  were  here 
none  of  those  natural  advantages  which  are  generally  held 
essential  to  the  growth  of  cities.     The  surrounding  soil  was 
not   specially   fertile.     Rather   the   reverse.     There    was   no 
water  to  turn  factory  wheels,  and  that  was  the  only  motive 
power  then  known.     The  location  was  outside  the  lines  of 
travel  and  transportation.     There  was  nothing  to  make  New 
Britain  what  it  is  except  the  quality  of  the  men  who  made  it, 
yet  to-day  New  Britain  is  eminent  for  the  beauty  and  the 
comfort  of  her  homes,  her  churches,  and  her  shops;  for  the 
culture,  refinement,  and  contentment  of  her  citizens;  while  in 
the  magnitude  of  her  factories,  the  excellence  of  their  products — 
for  I  have  never  heard  that  any  shoddy  was  weaved,  I  mean 
mashed,  in  New  Britain— and  above  all,  in  the  high  character 
of  her  operatives,  she  is  pre-eminent. 

Now,  lest  some  thoughtless  hearer  might  fancy  that  I 
speak  thus  to  flatter  you,  I  pause  to  remind  you  that  you  did 
not  choose  your  ancestors.  "Noblesse  oblige."  But  it  is  not 
a  soothing  syrup.  It  is  a  fiery  stimulant.  I  speak  the  truth 
about  your  ancestors  only  to  provoke  you  still  further  to  love 
and  good  works. 

What  manner  of  men  the  founders  of  this  church  were  was 
adequately  outlined  in  the  few  terse  but  comprehensive  sen- 
tences of  Mr.  Mitchell  yesterday  afternoon.  The  outline  was 
filled  in  truthfully,  exhaustively  and  with  rare  felicity  of 
phrase  by  your  pastor  this  morning.  Of  all  the  facts 
they  told  us  no  one  impressed  me  more  as  an  index 
of  character  than  this.  Those  founders  lived  in  mutual 
respect  and  unbroken  confidence  with  their  first  pastor 
for  fifty  years.  He  had  none  of  those  graces  which 
attract  the   thoughtless.      His  speech  was  unadorned.      His 


77 

manner  severe.  But  he  was  a  profound  student,  an  inde- 
pendent thinker,  a  devout  Christian.  Upon  the  most  impor- 
tant matter  which  occurred  during  his  ministry,  a  matter 
which  agitated  his  people  no  less  profoundly  than  slavery  excited 
us  sixty  years  ago,  he  differed  from  the  members  of  his  church. 
That  such  a  man  retained  for  fifty  years  their  reverence  and 
affection  so  tenaciously  that  when  the  infirmities  of  age  com- 
pelled his  resignation  they  refused  to  accept  it,  shows  the 
sturdy  manhood,  the  spiritual  brawn  and  sinew  of  those  to 
whom  he  ministered;  shows  that  they  were  men  who  cared 
supremely  for  conscience,  brains  and  resolute  will  in  the 
enforcement  of  what  he  believed  right;  and  little  for  anything 
else;  shows  that  they  were  wise  men  who  could  differ  without 
passion  and  respect  in  others  the  liberty  they  demanded  for 
themselves.  That  is  characteristic  of  this  church  as  far  as 
I  have  known  it.  I  believe  I  was  the  only  man  in  New  Britain 
who  believed  absolutely  and  to  the  ground  in  free  trade,  and 
some  of  you  may  remember  that  I  have  not  the  habit  of  hold- 
ing my  tongue  about  things  I  believe  strenuously,  but  I  never 
had  the  slightest  sign  (I  think  some  of  you  thought  me  in 
this  at  least  one  of  those  bipeds  whose  name  begins  with  "g," 
but  nobody  ever  said  so)  of  censure. 

Dr.  Smalley  is  reported  to  have  said:  "If  you  wish  for  a 
revival  preach  the  law;  if  your  revival  begins  to  wane,  preach 
the  law;  if  you  wish  to  secure  sound  conversions,  preach  the 
law."  This  was  only  a  repetition  of  the  charge  given  by  the 
Master  to  the  young  man  who  asked  what  he  should  do  to 
inherit  eternal  life:  "Keep  the  commandments."  That  is, 
do  right. 

This  was  the  salt  of  Dr.  Smalley 's  preaching;  and  omitting 
to  preach  that  way,  preaching  as  if  Christianity  were  a  device 
to  substitute  creed  for  conduct,  has  been  the  bane  of  New 
England  theology  and  the  weakness  of  the  churches  in  their 
grapple  with  the  world.  Dr.  Smalley's  kind  of  preaching 
was  welcomed  by  the  founders  of  this  church,  and  it  strength- 
ened them  for  the  great  task  God  called  them  to  acconiplisli. 

The  second  benefit  from  an  occasion  like  this  is  that  it 
teaches  us  to  weigh  more  carefully  and  estimate  more  cor- 
rectly the  relative  values  of  current  events.  It  guards  us 
from  the  fear  of  colossal  phantoms  and  the  neglect  of  small 
substances. 


78 

The  seeming  trifles  of  to-day  often  become  the  marvels 
of  to-morrow.  The  mountain  that  limits  our  horizon  as  we 
rush  by  it  in  the  fast  express  of  time  dwindles  into  a  mole  hill 
behind  us.  But  when  on  a  day  like  this  we  pause  and  the 
mind's  eye  looks  back,  often  some  mole  hill  unnoticed  before 
has  swelled  into  a  mountain.  The  gaze  fixed  upon  the  great 
image  of  gold  and  silver  and  brass  and  iron,  wrought  by  skil- 
ful hands,  overlooked  the  pebble  fallen  "without  hands"  from 
the  hill,  until  the  pebble  smote  the  colossus  into  dust  and 
itself  became  a  great  mountain.  The  fatal  error  which  has 
ruined  so  many  men  and  nations  threatens  us  also.  It  is  the 
error  of  mistaking  mushrooms  for  oak  trees;  of  thinking  Con- 
stantine's  diadem  of  pearls  makes  him  mightier  than  the 
Messiah  crowned  with  thorns;  of  fancying  that  Caesar's  legions, 
Phillip's  Armada,  or  Mr.  Rockefeller's  millions  vociferating 
"To  my  possessor  all  power  on  earth  is  given,"  speak  truth, 
while  He  who  having  triumphed  in  the  cross  declared:  "To 
Me  all  power  on  earth  has  been  given,"  was  mistaken. 

It  is  impossible  for  most  men,  it  is  almost  impossible 
for  any  man,  to  escape  the  clutch  of  that  blunder  while  he 
looks  at  the  present  and  sees  the  wicked  in  great  power  spread- 
ing himself  like  a  green  bay  tree.  But  when  one  has  passed 
by  and  looks  back  over  the  space  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years 
only  a  fool  can  fail  to  see  how  false  and  ruinous  the  error  is. 

Yet  it  is  perhaps  the  most  threatening  peril  of  our  time. 
Therefore  I  remind  you  that  in  1758  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
world  were  riveted  upon  Frederick  the  Great.  In  January 
of  that  year  Whitefield  appointed  a  day  of  thanksgiving  for 
the  victories  of  the  Prussian  king.  It  was  observed  with  great 
enthusiasm  in  the  famous  church  on  Tottenham  Court  Road. 
The  joy  was  not  confined  to  religious  people.  On  Frederick's 
birthday,  the  same  month,  London  was  illuminated.  Bonfires 
flamed  in  the  streets.  Demonstrations  of  joy  were  general 
throughout  England,  and  were  consummated  in  April  of  the 
year  by  the  treaty  of  alliance  with  the  Prussian  king.  White- 
field  and  the  many  he  represented  thought  him  a  leader  divinely 
appointed  to  end  the  power  of  the  papacy  in  which  the  protes- 
tant  bigotry  of  that  day  saw  only  the  scarlet  woman  and  the 
beast  with  many  horns.  The  populace  thought  him  a  hero 
who  by  humbling  France  would  free  them  from  those  appre- 
hensions which  had  tormented  them  and  their  ancestors  for 


79 

centuries.     Frederick  was  the  mightiest  man  in  the  worid  and 
he  was  their  friend. 

Fifty  years  passed.  In  1804  every  vestige  of  the  Great 
Frederick  had  disappeared  as  a  tale  written  on  water.  Two 
years  later  even  the  invincible  army  bequeathed  him  by  his 
father  vanished  like  a  soap  bubble  before  the  touch  of  Napoleon 
at  Jena.  Prussia  became  practically  a  vassal  of  France.  Eng- 
land was  mastered  by  a  dread  of  her  ancient  enemy  greater 
than  she  had  ever  felt  before.  The  pope  was  raised  to  an 
appearance  of  grandeur  more  magnificent  than  any  wearer 
of  the  triple  crown  had  enjoyed,  for  Napoleon,  now  in  all  but 
name  king  of  the  kings  of  Europe,  recognized  the  supremacy 
of  the  Holy  See  over  all  earthly  majesties,  by  receiving  from 
the  pope  the  imperial  crown. 

That  coronation  was  the  most  splendid  function  Europe 
had  ever  beheld.  When  it  was  over  the  Emperor  declared 
that  the  crowTi  of  France  would  rest  upon  his  head  and  the 
heads  of  his  representatives  to  countless  generations.  In 
a  few  years  the  cords  he  had  twisted  were  untwined,  all  that 
he  had  done  was  undone,  and  he  was  whining  at  St.  Helena. 

All  the  initiatives  of  the  great  Frederick  came  to  naught 
in  less  than  fifty  years.  All  those  of  the  greater  Napoleon, 
blazoned  in  a  ceremony  that  fixed  the  eyes  of  the  whole  world 
upon  it,  in  eleven  years  were  shown  to  be  eggs  that  would  not 
hatch. 

But—'m  1758  while  the  world  was  watching  Frederick, 
this  church  was  bom.  "No  cymbals  clashed,  no  clarions 
rang."  The  great  world  knew  nothing  of  it,  and  had  it  known 
would  have  cared  nothing  about  it.  Yet  the  beneficent  effects 
of  that  obscure  event  which  surround  us  to-day  were  in  com- 
parison with  the  victories  of  Frederick  or  the  coronation  of 
Napoleon  as  the  pebble  to  the  image  of  Daniel's  vision. 

Nathaniel  Emmons  was  the  controlling  editor  of  that 
magazine  which  ripened  into  the  Missionary  Herald.  He 
launched  it  on  its  beneficent  career.  Who  can  estimate  the 
good  accomplished  and  yet  to  be  accomplished  by  that  publi- 
cation through  the  multifarious  activities  it  has  caused  and 
kept  in  operation?  Let  him  reply  who  can  estimate  for  weight 
of  influence  all  Caesar's  victories  a.s  comy)ared  with  that 
single  chapter  of  Isaiah,  read  to  us  this  morning;  chapter 
which  stimulated  Cromwell  and  his  Ironsides  in  their  victory 
for  Anglo  Saxon  deliverance;  which  has  made  Bunyan  strong 


80 

and  which  stimulated  slaves  into  free  men.  Nathaniel  Emmons 
was  one  of  the  first  and  mightiest  of  that  small  company  who 
placed  on  moral  grounds  the  opposition  to  slavery.  Slavery 
had  already  been  fought  on  grounds  of  expediency.  That 
battle  it  won.  But  when  by  Emmons  leading  a  few  associates 
it  was  attacked  by  weapons  not  of  this  world,  the  conflict 
continued  till  it  was  decided  the  other  way. 

Nathaniel  Emmons  was  one  of  the  heroic  few  who  first 
protested  effectively  against  that  conception  of  God  once  held 
throughout  New  England;  the  view  expressed  by  Michael 
Wigglesworth  in  a  poem  which  for  a  time  enjoyed  a  popularity 
greater  than  any  other  American  writer,  before  Mrs.  Stowe, 
obtained;  the  poem  which  described  the  redeemed  gloating 
over  the  torments  of  lost  souls  and  Christ  himself  telling  the 
infants  who  pleaded  with  Him  to  take  them  out  of  the  burning 
lake,  that  they  must  stay  there  because  it  was  for  the  glory 
of  God.  Similar  opinions  were  held  by  Nathaniel  Emmons 
until  Dr.  Smalley  convinced  him  they  were  false.  It  was  from 
the  study  of  this  church  that  he  went  forth  to  be  one  of  the 
first  in  time  and  one  of  the  first  in  effectiveness  among  those 
who  tore  the  veil  of  horror  from  the  face  of  God  and  unveiled 
the  features  of  the  Father  we  adore. 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  the  influence  of  his  year 
in  that  same  study  of  this  church  can  be  traced  in  the 
large  and  indomitable  love  of  justice,  the  devout  piety,  the 
religious  enthusiasm,  which  to  his  dying  day  distinguished 
the  man  who  secured  against  all  the  powers  of  Jefferson  the 
form  of  our  Federal  Government  which  time  has  shown  to  be 
essential  to  its  permanence;  that  man  whom  Washington 
selected  for  our  first  Chief  Justice;  that  man  whose  watchful 
integrity  restored  the  financial  credit  of  the  government  and 
made  men  call  him  "the  Cerberus  of  the  Treasury;" that  man 
whom  John  Adams  described  as  "the  pillar  of  Washington's 
whole  administration;"  the  man  who  was  perhaps  the  most 
illustrious  of  the  many  illustrious  citizens  who  have  made 
Connecticut  as  large  in  influence  as  she  is  small  in  territory — 
Oliver  Ellsworth. 

Nor  is  it  too  much  to  assume  that  the  instructions  and 
unconscious  influence  of  the  study  in  this  church  had  an 
appreciable  effect  in  moulding  the  character  of  Jeremiah  Mason 
into  the  form  which  made  him  the  acknowledged  leader  of 


81 

the  Suffolk  Bar  at  a  time  when  Rufus  Choate  and  Daniel 
Webster  belonged  to  it. 

In  comparison  with  facts  like  these  the  things  the  world 
was  staring  at  in  1758  and  1804  seem  trivial,  and  the  things 
done  here  between  those  dates  seem  great. 

It  may  be  that  the  little  money  given  by  inconspicuous 
hands  to  Booker  Washington  and  Dr.  Frissell  will  do  more 
for  the  peace  and  safety  of  our  country  in  all  coming  time  than 
the  many  millions  spent  in  ironclads. 

But  once  more.  The  records  of  the  past  are  prophesies 
of  the  future.  Rightly  used  they  are  the  safeguards  of  the 
present.  Next  to  honesty  of  purpose,  the  thing  most  important 
for  American  voters  and  legislators  to  possess  is  acquaintance 
with  history.  It  is  also  the  thing  they  most  lack.  The  vast 
majority  of  our  voters  and  a  majority  of  our  legislators  desire 
honestly  the  public  good.  The  trouble  is  we  do  not  know  how 
to  secure  it.  If  we  all  had  studied  carefully  Bryce,  Gibbon,  and 
the  historic  books  of  the  Bible,  we  should  have  few  unwise 
laws  and  no  pernicious  ones.  For  no  question  of  public  impor- 
tance has  arisen  in  our  country  since  the  Boston  Tea  Party 
or  before  it,  the  right  settlement  of  which  did  not  depend  upon 
principles  clearly  expressed  and  illustrated  by  abundant 
examples  in  the  history  of  Israel;  principles  which  have  been 
less  clearly  expressed  but  still  more  abundantly  illustrated 
in  the  experience  of  Greece,  Rome,  Mediaeval  and  Modem 
Europe. 

I  have  tasted  the  same  food  which  Moses  ate;  because 
grains  preserved  for  milleniums  in  the  wrappings  of  a  mummy, 
when  planted  a  few  years  ago  in  a  Massachusetts  garden  bore 
the  same  fruit  which  similar  seeds  produced  on  the  banks  of 
the  Nile  for  the  table  of  Pharoah's  daughter.  I  have  felt  the 
wrath  that  made  Moses  break  the  tables  on  which  God's 
finger  had  written,  because  the  same  seeds  produce  always 
the  same  fruits,  whether  they  be  sown  in  the  earth  or  in  human 
hearts. 

The  worship  of  selfish  luxury  and  sordid  powers  with 
consecration  to  the  means  of  attaining  them,  brings  forth  iden- 
tical results  whether  the  altar  be  raised  on  the  sands  of  Sinai 
or  the  pavement  of  Wall  Street;  whether  the  idol  be  frankly 
confessed  as  a  golden  calf  or  its  worshipers  clu-at  themselves 
by  calling  it  "National  Prosperity;"  whether  as  they  sit  down 
to  eat  and  drink  or  rise  up  to  play  before  it,  they  .shout   in 


82 

Hebrew  or  declare  by  actions  that  speak  louder  than  words: 
"These  be  thy  Gods  that  brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of 
Egypt."  That  cry  could  have  been  uttered  in  Arabia  by  those 
only  who  had  forgotten  what  God  it  was  who  enslaved  them 
on  the  Nile;  what  God  it  was  who  parted  the  sea  for  their 
deliverance  and  made  heavy  the  chariot  wheels  of  the  oppressors 
who  pursued  them. 

That  cry — that  national  prosperity  consists  in  the  abun- 
dance of  things  to  eat  and  drink  and  wear  and  brag  about — 
can  be  re-echoed  by  those  only  who  forget  that  the  quest  for 
gold  produced  Guatemala  and  Yucatan,  while  the  flight  from 
gold  and  all  that  gold  stands  for  brought  forth  New  England. 
It  was  men  who  turned  their  backs  upon  every  one  of  those 
things  which  we  are  told  to-day  constitute  "National  Prosper- 
ity" in  order  to  seek  for  something  better  than  those  who  tell  us 
that  can  ask  or  think,  and  to  seek  it  under  the  leadership  of 
Him  who  had  not  where  to  lay  His  head, — it  was  those  men 
who  created  New  England.  It  was  those  same  men,  reproduced 
in  their  children,  who  founded  and  created  this  church  and 
this  city. 

What  other  sermon  then  could  be  so  effective  in  re-enforc- 
ing and  guiding  wisely  that  patriotism  for  which  New  Britain 
has  always  been  distinguished  as  the  seraion  preached  by  the 
one  hundred  and  fifty  years  we  have  assembled  to  commem- 
orate? What  other  teacher  could  point  out  so  directly  and 
so  impressively  the  things  required  of  us  by  the  conditions 
of  to-day  or  move  us  so  potently  to  move  forward  in  that 
line  of  devout  and  Godly  patriotism  to  which  stones  in  yonder 
cemetery  are  pointing  our  young  men  to-day? 


Monday 


An  interesting  feature  of  the  day's  exercises  was  the  his- 
torical exhibit  in  the  church  chapel.  The  articles  were  labeled 
and  the  committee  in  charge  gave  interesting  information  in 
regard  to  them.     Some  of  the  relics  exhibited  were: 

Dr.  Smalley's  large  family  Bible. 

Silhouettes  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Smalley. 

Silver  knee  buckles  belonging  to  Dr.  Smalley. 

Silver  teaspoon  marked  S.  S.  (Sarah  Smalley)  and  one 
marked  S.  G.  (Sarah  Guernsey)  belonging  to 
Mrs.  Smalley. 

Locket  containing  picture  of  David  Whittlesey,  who 
was  first  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  School. 

A  pamphlet  containing  history,  rules,  confession  of 
faith  and  covenant  of  the  First  Congregational 
Church  in  New  Britain,  with  catalogue  of  mem- 
bers, January,  1844. 

Dr.  Smalley's  old  pipe  box,  which  hung  in  his  hall 
for  the  use  of  ministerial  friends  who  came  to 
see  him. 

Several  sermons  written  by  Dr.  Smalley  and  a  num- 
ber of  books  from  his  library. 

An  old  footstove. 

Base  viol  played  by  Eri  Judd  in  the  Old  North  Church. 

Trombone  played  by  Henry  Gladden  in  Old  North 
Church  and  in  the  First  Church. 

Base  viol  played  by  Oliver  Judd  in  the  Old  North 
Church  and  in  the  First  Church. 

The  exercises  of  the  day  included  an  organ  recital  given 
in  the  afternoon  by  Organist  Howard  E.  Brewer,  followed  by 
a  reception  to  the  former  pastors  of  the  church  (Rev.  Dr.  John 
H.  Denison,  Rev.  Dr.  William  B.  Wright  and  the  Rev.  G. 
Henry  Sand  well,  the  only  ex-pastors  of  the  church  now  living), 
their  families  and  other  invited  guests.  A  large  number  of 
former  members  of  the  church  were  present.  From  6.30  p.  m. 
to  7.30  p.  m.  refreshments  were  served,  and  at  8  p.  m.  the 
closing  exercises  of  this  memorable  occasion  were  held. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  The  deacons  have  played  their  part  in  this  great 
celebration  of  ours,  as  deacons  usually  do,  with  hard  work  which  has  not 
shown  on  the  surface.  But  our  deacons  are  to  be  represented  to-night 
in  a  son  of  one  of  them  who  is  a  son  of  this  church  and  of  whom  we  are  all 
proud.  Less  than  a  year  ago  he  came  from  Japan,  and  I  feel  quite  certain 
that  he  came  at  the  time  he  did  so  that  he  might  be  here  for  this  occasion. 
No  anniversary  would  be  complete  that  did  not  have  a  poem,  and  our 
representative  of  the  deacons,  the  son  of  Deacon  Walter,  is  to  read  us  a 
poem  on  this  occasion.  We  will  now  listen  to  that  poem,  by  Mr.  Howard 
Arnold  Walter,  a  middler  in  Hartford  Theological  Seminary,  a  son  of 
this  church. 

POEM  OF  MR.  HOWARD  ARNOLD  WALTER 

I  feel  peculiarly  grateful  for  the  opportunity  that  is 
accorded  me  to  speak  from  this  pulpit  for  the  first  time  on 
this  occasion.  I  speak  not  only,  as  Mr.  Maier  has  said,  as  a 
son  of  the  church,  but  also  as  a  great-great-great-great- 
great-great-grandson  of  the  church,  even  to  the  seventh  gen- 
eration. Before  this  pulpit  I  was  baptized  by  Dr.  Burroughs; 
I  received  the  Bible  of  the  church  from  the  hand  of  Dr.  Wright; 
I  was  received  into  membership  by  Dr.  Hall,  and,  during  the 
past  week,  in  a  Congregational  association  of  which  the  pres- 
ent pastor  was  acting  as  moderator,  I  was  licensed  to  preach 
the  Gospel;  so  that  I  think  there  can  be  no  one  in  this  church 
to-day  of  my  own  generation  who  feels  bound  to  it  by  more 
or  closer  ties  than  L 

I  have  been  asked  to  write  a  poem  for  this  occasion,  and 
I  have  done  so  not  unwillingly,  with  the  thought  that  it  may 
prove  a  fitting  background,  by  way  of  contrast,  for  the  good 
things  in  prose  which  we  are  to  have  through  the  remainder 
of  the  evening. 

ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTIETH  ANNIVERSARY  POEM 

I 

My  friends,  at  this  memorial  tide, 

From  out  the  busy  grind  and  roar 

Of  earth,  that  (lc<!j)ons  evermore, 
A  little  space  we  turn  aside. 


86 


There  breaks  upon  our  fevered  ways 

A  breathing  pause,  a  backward  look, 
By  relic  hoar  and  musty  book, 

To  modes  and  men  of  other  days. 

There  slowly  swims  within  our  ken 

Scene  after  scene,  stage  after  stage 
Of  life,  where  stirs  from  age  to  age 

The  pure  desires  of  Godly  men. 

Our  nation  out  of  war  was  born, 

Where  swelled  aloft  fair  Freedom's  strains; 

Our  land  was  born  anew  when  chains 
Were  loosened  that  had  long  been  worn. 

Our  nation  grew  in  sinewy  strife. 

Age  ripening  from  impetuous  youth — 
And  ever  hath  the  church  of  truth 

Been  interwoven  with  its  life. 

The  church  and  state  are  close  allied 

In  bonds  than  human  laws  more  sure. 
That  nation  which  would  long  endure 

The  prophets  of  the  Lord  must  guide. 

I  turn  the  pages  of  the  past. 

Swift-moving  pictures  flutter  by 
Where  church  and  state  and  city  lie 

Enfolded  into  union  fast. 


II 

One  night  of  dreams  I  seemed  to  live  again 

In  days  gone  by  when  hearts  of  maids  and  men 

Were  fired  with  thoughts  of  freedom  in  a  strife 

Which  well  they  knew  might  cost  a  nation's  life, 

And  sink  it  into  tyranny  more  dread 

Than  that  which  now  their  flaming  ardour  fed. 

The  stirring  days  of  '75  had  come: 

The  streets  resounded  with  the  fife  and  drum 

In  old  New  Britain  town.     The  patriot  band 

With  many  a  breeze  of  liberty  was  fanned. 

Now  news  of  outrage  filled  their  minds  with  fight: 

Now  word  of  war  impending — with  delight. 

Within  the  church  I  sat,  that  day  of  days. 

When,  at  the  close  of  preaching,  prayer  and  praise. 

The  aged  Colonel  Lee  stood  by  the  side 

Of  the  young  Captain  Stanley  while  he  cried 

To  all  who  loved  their  land  and  knew  no  fear 

Upon  parade  next  morning  to  appear. 


87 

Then  was  there  hubbub:  some  who  felt  the  thrill 
Of  freedom  gathering  round  their  friends  who  still 
Would  see  grim  war  averted.     Thru  the  throng 
There  strode  a  man,  commanding,  spare  and  strong, 
Protecting  pastor  of  this  fold  of  God. 
For  twenty  years  those  boards  his  feet  had  trod; 
For  twenty  years  those  walls  his  voice  had  filled. 
The  tumult,  with  his  coming,  sudden  stilled — 
These  words  of  pained  surprise  they  heard  him  fling 
Into  their  midst:     "What,  will  ye  fight  your  king?" 
Then  reverence  was  forgotten  in  the  shout 
That  put  all  thoughts  of  sordid  peace  to  rout. 
The  conflict  came  and  closed:  and  when  'twas  o'er, 
The  glorious  victory  none  welcomed  more 
Than  Parson  Smalley  now  on  Freedom's  side. 
Well  might  the  town  confess  an  honest  pride 
When  back  returned  to  her  the  war-scarred  brave, 
Surviving  still  those  other  lads  who  gave 
Their  lives,  their  all,  by  liberty  outweighed. 
The  nation's  flag  with  stars  that  would  not  fade 
Was  studded  by  their  strife.     Now  war  was  done 
And  peace  for  progress  and  for  rest  was  won. 


Ill 

Then  was  there  glad  release  from  harsh  contention, 
Men  turned  from  noisy  strife  to  quiet  toll; 

And  in  the  East  they  triumphed  in  invention, 
And  in  the  West  they  tilled  the  virgin  soil. 

Now  in  my  dream  I  saw  Old  Time  unravel 

Mysterious  forces  that  creation  fill; 
Upon  the  earth,  unwonted  speed  of  travel. 

On  the  electric  air,  man's  voice  athrill. 

Swept  forward  by  expansion's  wave  resistless, 

Behold  New  Britain  to  a  city  grown. 
No  place  within  its  gates  for  laggards  listlesa, 

Idlers  within  its  precincts  all  unknown. 

Those  were  the  days  of  men  of  mighty  spirit, 

Whose  sterling  worth  and  quenchless  power  shone  forth; 

How  many  an  honored  name  our  sons  inherit — 
A  Stanley  or  a  Landers  or  a  Nortli! 

And  with  the  city's  growth,  the  church  expanded. 

Despite  division  when  a  part  with<irew 
In  peaceful  disagreement,  and  were  handed 

Into  a  daughter  church  that  swiftly  grew. 


88 


Those  men  who  for  the  city's  life  were  spending 
Their  utmost  efforts  through  the  busy  week, 

Upon  the  Sabbath  day  their  way  were  wending 
Unto  the  church,  the  Spirit's  strength  to  seek. 

And  when  at  length  their  humbler  House  of  Meeting 
Gave  place  to  this  we  proudly  call  our  own, 

The  splendid  cycle  of  the  past  completing — 

Their  sons  came  forth  to  reap  what  they  had  sown. 


IV 

A  hundred  years  had  passed  away. 

In  storm  or  stillness,  since  the  day 

The  old  First  Church  was  formed,  and  lo 

'Twas  deemed  of  right  the  town  should  know 

The  church's  history  how  great. 

This  month  of  April,  '58. 

Unto  the  church  there  came  that  day 

Of  citizens  a  great  array, 

To  celebrate  the  hundredth  year 

From  when  the  church  was  founded  here. 

The  first  to  speak,  of  great  renown. 

Beyond  the  confines  of  the  town. 

And  of  the  land — beyond  the  seas — 

A  gentleman  whose  manners  please. 

An  orator  whose  words  have  weight, 

A  scholar  learned,  an  advocate 

Of  world-wide  peace  in  every  land, 

Elihu  Burritt  took  the  stand 

And  sketched  from  out  his  deep  research 

The  early  history  of  the  church — 

Showing  the  customs,  deeds  and  ways, 

And  worship,  of  the  olden  days. 

Following  him  the  next  to  rise, 

A  man  of  business,  keen  and  wise, 

Was  Noah  Stanley,  who  extolled 

The  manners  and  the  men  of  old. 

And  after  him,  last  of  the  three. 

Was  Reverend  David  Whittlesey. 

At  even-time  again  they  came; 

The  pastor,  of  the  worthy  name 

Of  Perrin,  in  historic  vein. 

Wooed  back  the  minds  of  all  again 

To  view  the  ancient  church's  rise 

And  progress  to  its  present  size. 

The  evening  o'er,  they  homeward  walked, 

And  proudly  of  that  history  talked. 


89 


You  have  met  within  the  portals  of  this  ancient  church  to-day, 

Now  a  hundred  years  and  fifty  have  appeared  and  passed  away. 

You  have  heard  the  storied  annals  of  the  generations  gone, 

You  have  scanned  the  teeming  pages  that  their  lives  have  writ  upon. 

You  have  seen  the  stir  and  tumult,  all  the  travail  of  the  birth 

Of  the  nation  that  is  fairest  of  the  fair  upon  the  earth. 

You  have  watched  the  nation's  progress,  followed  its  enlarging  life; 

Felt  the  fragrant  peace  and  quiet  that  is  won  by  stalwart  strife. 

Have  you  heard  beneath  the  plaintive,  jangling  strains  of  want  and  wrong 

Sounding  chords  of  truth  triumphant  swelling  in  an  endless  song? 

In  each  town  and  heath  and  hamlet  that  is  reaching  toward  the  right 

There's  a  silent  steeple  rising  upward,  Godward,  thru  the  night: 

Finger  of  rebuke  and  warning,  or  of  hope  and  joys  that  wait; 

Men  have  seen  its  sign  and  trembled,  shrinking   from  a  purchased   fate. 

In  the  sight  of  that  stern  sentry  pointing  skyward  from  the  earth 

Men  have  found  a  still  reminder  of  the  things  of  greater  worth. 

So  the  church  has  proved  its  birthright,  standing  for  the  truth  of  God, 

Moving  onward  in  the  footsteps  where  the  feet  of  Jesus  trod. 

And  the  hope  of  all  the  future  in  the  ages  yet  unborn, 

Till  the  night  of  death  be  swallowed  in  the  Resurrection  morn. 

Is  the  church  that  God  hath  fashioned  and  that  men  of  God  have  filled, 

We  her  sons  will  follow  forward  in  the  paths  which  he  has  willed, 

Burdened  with  the  cross  of  Jesus,  burning  with  His  holy  zeal, 

Till  the  hour  when  earthly  monarchs  underneath  His  sceptre  kneel; 

When  the  humblest  sit  the  highest  and  the  proud  have  learned  to  love — 

All  the  world  bowed  low  in  worship  round  the  throne  of  God  above. 


Mr.  Maier  said:    I  am  glad  to  have  here  with  me  on  the  platform 

to-night  three  of  the  sons  of  the  church  who  are  in  the  ministry,  or  are 
preparing  for  the  ministry,  or  have  had  a  part  in  it.  I  am  very  glad  to 
have  two  of  them  to  disprove  an  old  fallacy  about  ministers'  sons,  and  I 
wish  I  might  say  deacons'  daughters.  We  are  going  to  hear  from  the  sons 
of  this  church,  those  who  were  boys  here  in  the  Sunday  School  and  who 
sat  in  the  pews,  uneasy  perhaps,  while  the  preaching  was  going  on.  Min- 
isters' sons  do  that  sometimes.  The  first  one  who  is  to  bring  us  a  message 
is  the  son  of  one  who  was  here  when  many  of  the  prominent  members  of 
this  church  came  into  this  city.  Dr.  Perrin  made  a  great  impression  on 
young  men  who  came  to  make  their  home  in  this  city.  I  am  very  glad 
to  turn  you  over  to  Prof.  Bernadotte  Perrin,  of  Yale  University. 


ADDRESS    OF    PROFESSOR    BERNADOTTE    PERRIN 

My  reminiscences  of  New  Britain  all  cluster  around  that 
grand  decade  of  1860-70,  the  period  of  our  great  Civil  War. 
I  came  here  in  1858,  a  fresh  country  boy  from  the  Litchfield 
hills,  and  everything  in  the  New  Britain  of  that  time  which 
would  seem  to  you  now,  in  these  advanced  days,  primitive 
and  simple,  struck  me  as  colossal  and  magnificent!  This 
church,  even  now  a  noble  "meeting-house,"  was  then  even 
more  impressive,  because  the  era  of  church  architecture  in 
New  Britain  had  not  then  set  in.  The  church  was  new,  fresh, 
sweet,  simple  and  pure  in  its  lines,  and  as  an  auditorium  unex- 
celled. 

I  remember  distinctly  my  impressions  as  a  boy  on  coming 
to  a  Sunday  morning  service,  and  seeing  Mr.  William  A. 
Churchill,  to  whom  more  than  to  any  other  one  man,  perhaps, 
we  owed  the  beautiful  edifice,  visiting  all  parts  of  the  building 
to  see  that  everything  was  in  its  most  perfect  shape;  adjusting 
the  blinds  to  keep  out  the  sun;  watching  the  temperature, 
and  seeing  that  nothing  was  neglected  which  could  conduce 
to  the  comfort  of  the  worshipers.  His  beautiful  house  further 
down  the  street  then  struck  me  as  an  abode  worthy  of  the 
Count  of  Monte  Cristo,  and  its  cupola!  That  impressed  a 
country  boy  as  something  of  which  only  the  greatest  of  the 
earth  could  be  worthy.     Some  of  my  dearest  remembrances 


91 

connect  themselves  with  the  old  Churchill  place  and  its  lovely 
grounds. 

But  I  must  pass  hastily  from  the  time  of  my  first  impres- 
sions to  the  period  when  the  great  war  pressed  its  claims  upon 
us,  and  when  the  young  men  whom  I  had  been  wont  to  look 
up  to  and  admire  in  what  served  perhaps  as  our  club, — the 
shoe  store  of  Chester  Booth, — passed  one  after  another  out 
from  this  simple  and  careless  life  of  ours  into  the  strenuous 
and  stormy  life  of  the  soldier's  service.  And  then  the  tidings 
that  came  back  to  us  from  camps,  hospitals  and  battle-fields! 
How  well  I  remember  the  joyful  pride  or  the  pains  and  agonies 
which  they  spread  among  the  people  of  this  parish! 

I  was  called  upon  a  year  or  two  ago  to  give  a  Memorial 
Day  address  in  a  town  near  New  Haven,  and  was  casting  about 
for  some  fitting  remarks  to  make  on  that  occasion,  when  I 
came  upon  a  generous  package  of  letters  in  an  old  trunk  of 
my  father's,  neatly  tied,  and  labeled  "From  my  Boys  in  Blue." 
I  read  those  letters,  and  got  from  them  the  inspiration  that  I 
wanted.  They  were  letters  from  members  of  his  congregation 
who  were  scattered  all  over  the  country  in  their  country's 
service,  to  their  pastor,  who  sought  to  keep  in  close  touch  with 
them  and  to  keep  them  in  touch  with  "the  things  of  the  King- 
dom." One  would  write  from  New  Orleans,  one  from  Charles- 
ton, and  one  from  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  I  had  known 
and  remembered  them  all,  and  looked  up  to  them  as  grown-up 
young  men  when  I  was  but  a  boy.  They  told  their  stories  of 
hardships,  victories,  defeats;  of  temptations  overcome  or 
overcoming;  of  social  problems  to  be  solved  of  which  they  had 
not  the  faintest  conception  when  they  left  this  little  borough 
here.  They  told  of  their  longings  for  home  and  kindred  and 
for  the  ways  of  the  old,  delightful  peace.  But  still  the  one 
dominant  note  in  all  the  letters  was:  "The  old  flag  must  be 
saved  from  dishonor,  and  the  cause  of  the  Union  carried  to 
triumph,  no  matter  what  pains  and  sacrifices  are  demanded  of 
us."  These  easy-going  young  men  had  been  transformed  into 
heroes. 

And  then  I  remember  that  even  as  a  boy  I  wondered  at 
that  spectacle  at  which  all  the  world  wondered,  when  that 
army  of  more  than  a  million  men  came  back  to  their  homes 
and  scattered  into  the  vocations  of  peace.  Our  warriors  came 
back,  though  alas!  not  all!  and  without  a  ripple  of  excitement 
this  little  community  saw  its  martial  heroes  pass  from  soldiers 


92 

to  citizens  again,  as  though  there  were  no  other  vocation  than 
that  of  peaceful  citizenship. 

One  scene  from  that  long  struggle  is  indelibly  fixed  in  my 
memory.  It  was  the  Friday  morning  when  the  news  came  to 
this  place  of  the  assassination  of  Lincoln,  and  I  saw  Mr.  Fred- 
erick T.  Stanley  turn  into  Washington  Street  and  come  slowly 
down  to  our  gate  on  his  way  home.  He  brought  the  dreadful 
tidings  to  my  father,  and  I,  a  boy,  saw  those  two  strong  men 
weep  like  women.  It  seemed  to  them  that  the  cause  was 
lost,  that  there  could  be  no  more  hope  or  light  if  Lincoln  was 
gone.  And  then  I  well  remember  the  courage  born  of  despair 
with  which  my  father  prepared  to  face  his  congregation  on 
the  following  Sunday  morning.  That  was  Friday  morning, 
and  by  Sunday  morning  he  must  have  a  message  for  his  people 
appropriate  to  the  overwhelming  calamity  which  had  fallen 
upon  them.  He  saw  no  sleep  Friday  night,  no  sleep  Saturday 
night;  through  both  nights  the  light  was  burning  in  his  little 
study,  where,  I  doubt  not,  there  was  wrestling  with  God  in 
prayer.  But  on  Sunday  morning  the  notes  of  his  message 
to  his  people  rang  out  clear  and  strong.  They  were  the  old 
notes,  so  familiar  in  strong  men  who  have  learned  to  submit 
their  ways  to  God.  "God  reigneth,  God  reigneth,  put  your 
trust  in  God." 

Memories  rush  upon  me.  Even  the  fifty  minutes  jocosely 
given  me  by  your  pastor  would  not  suffice  me,  and  the  ten 
minutes  which  I  promised  him  not  to  exceed  are  gone.  And 
yet  there  is  one  memory  to  which  I  must  allude,  if  I  can,  and 
that  is  of  the  loving  devotion  which  this  community  paid  to 
their  memories  of  my  father  and  mother,  when  their  ashes 
were  carried  from  before  this  pulpit  to  their  last  resting  place 
in  yonder  Fair  View  Cemetery.  That  will  always  be  one  of 
the  most  precious  memories  of  my  life,  and  the  notes  of  the 
sweet  music  which,  even  on  that  bitter  winter's  day,  sounded 
out  over  their  new-made  graves,  still  linger  in  my  ears,  and 
will  linger  till  death  seals  my  ears. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  Ministers  have  made  their  impression  upon  this 
church;  so  have  their  sons.  I  began  to  hear  very  soon  after  coming  here 
about  a  certain  golden-haired  little  boy,  and  I  do  not  mean  any  disrespect, 
but  I  never  heard  him  called  anything  but  Jack  in  this  whole  parish.  They 
used  to  tell  us  in  college  that  when  we  called  anyone  old  so-and-so,  "old" 
was  a  title  of  affection,  and  I  am  sure  that  the  term  "Jack"  in  this  congre- 
gation is  a  title  of  affection.  The  grandson  of  the  greatest,  most  beloved 
theologian  that  New  England  ever  had,  son  of  one  of  the  most  beloved 
pastors  this  church  ever  had,  beloved  for  himself  and  much  more  for  his 
work's  sake,  is  the  son  of  the  church  who  is  to  speak  to  us  next.  (I  was  told 
to-night  of  the  first  impressions  that  some  of  this  church  received  concerning 
his  coming  here,  the  day  his  father  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of 
this  church.  The  grandfather  was  present,  and  they  brought  in  that  son 
to  be  baptized  by  Mark  Hopkins,  the  President  of  Williams  College,  the 
grandfather  of  the  boy.  They  said  as  he  went  out  that  door  he  turned 
round  and  looked  at  the  congregation  and  waved  his  hand.  I  will  let  him 
do  it  again.) 

ADDRESS  OF  REV.  JOHN  HOPKINS  DENISON 

There  is  no  pulpit  in  which  I  should  feel  so  strangely 
out  of  place  as  I  do  in  this  one.  When  one  has  sat  in  that  pew 
below  and  gazed  up  over  its  edge,  from  the  insignificance  of 
childhood,  with  awe  and  reverence,  to  this  pulpit  as  the  source 
of  authority,  both  Divine  and  parental,  it  is  most  extraordinary 
to  find  one's  self  up  here,  and  it  is  difficult  to  adjust  one's 
self  to  the  change  of  position. 

In  returning  here  after  thirty  years  I  am  impressed  by 
at  least  a  few  changes.  Many  of  my  playfellows  and  the 
companions  of  my  childhood,  are  departed.  My  most  familiar 
playmates,  and  those  best  adapted  to  my  age,  were  four  of  the 
opposite  sex — one  was  ninety-four,  one  was  ninety-two,  and 
the  ages  of  the  other  two  were  a  little  beyond  my  mathematical 
faculties  at  the  time.     I  miss  their  faces  here  to-night. 

There  are  a  great  many  memories  that  come  crowding 
in  as  I  look  into  your  faces,  and  a  great  many  old  ties  that 
seem  to  be  renewing  themselves.  It  is  very  pleasant  to  come 
back  to  such  a  family  life  as  that  of  this  church.  The  ties 
of  its  affection  are  very  real  and  very  strong;  but  to  judge 
from  the  remarks  that  I  have  heard  to-night  the  hold  I  had 


94 

upon  the  people  here  was  attained  chiefly  by  capillary  attrac- 
tion.    I  have  been  trying,  after  a  fashion,  to  think  myself 
back  and  put  myself  inside  the  head  of  that  little  chap  that 
used  to  patter  around  here,  until  I  almost  begin  to  see  the  town 
again  as  he  saw  it  thirty  years  ago.    You  may  think  that  the 
town  has  grown,  but  it  has  either  shrunk  or  I  have  lost  the 
magnifying  power  out  of  my  eyes.     I  can  remember  that 
little  house  in  Washington  Street  that  seemed  like  a  palatial 
mansion,  and  that  front  parlor,  at  least  ten  feet  square  now, 
that  then  seemed  so  spacious,  where  one  could  feast  one's  eyes 
on  the  brilliant  frieze  of  blue  and  the  gorgeous  stripes  of  crim- 
son in  the  curtains.    What  now  is  a  narrow  yard  was  then  a 
great  expanse  of  field  and  garden  where  one  could  play  all 
day  under  huge  branching  apple  trees  that  have  shrunk  up 
instead  of  growing,  and  there  was  a  pole  out  there  that  went 
almost  up  into  the  sky, — like  Jack's  bean-stalk — and  one  was 
expected  to  climb  up  to  the  top  every  day  for  the  exercise  of 
one's  legs.     Then  in  the  background  was  a  barn  where  dwelt 
another  of  one's  playfellows,  a  most  charming  person  of  the 
equine  race,  called  Aethe.     She  had  to  be  approached  care- 
fully because  of  her  appetite — she  would  even  eat  gold  com- 
passes from  one's  father's  watch-chain,  and  she  was  liable 
any  day  to  mistake  one's  hair  for  hay.     Then  one  could  go  to 
church.      This,   however,    was   an   experience   that   entailed 
trials  as  well  as  joys,  and  the  former  sometimes  preponderated. 
It  is  strange,  but  one  was  quite  likely  to  develop  before  long  a 
recurrent,  septo-diurnal  stomach  ache,  that  appeared  regularly 
at  ten  o'clock  every  Sunday  morning.    At  times  one  succeeded 
in  rising  above  this,  in  reaching  the  church,  and  at  length  in 
getting  settled  down,  yonder  in   the  pastor's  pew.     It  was 
fortunate  for  one  that  the  people  here  were  not  as  intolerant 
of  the  sins  of  youth  as  in  the  early  days,  when  the  tithing  man 
went  about  seeking  whom  he  might  devour,  with  strict  instruc- 
tions to  rap  all  restless  boys  on  the  head.     One  could  turn 
around  to  watch  the  strange  movements  of  Mr.  Parsons  on 
the  organ  seat  in  the  gallery;  then  one  might  look  at  the  dea- 
cons if  they  did  not  seem  in  too  solemn  a  mood.     When  flesh 
and  blood  could  stand  the  strain  of  sitting  still  and  being  good 
no  longer  there  was  a  wonderful  lady  in  the  pew  behind  who 
always  understood  and  would  drop  over  a  lozenge  into  one's 
lap,  and  one  could  then  curl  up  to  heart-felt  enjoyment  through 
the  rest  of  the  sermon.     But  the  wonder  of  wonders  and  delight 


95 

of  all  delights  was  when  one  could  get  hold  of  the  sexton  and 
follow  him  up  the  winding  stairs  into  the  tower.  What  a 
place  of  mystery  it  was!  I  have  wandered  over  many  strange 
places  in  the  world  but  never  have  I  found  a  place  of  such 
weird  fascination  as  the  dark  interior  of  the  steeple  of  this 
church,  with  its  winding  ladders  and  queer  clock-work.  It 
would  be  one's  greatest  ambition  and  passion  some  day  to  be 
the  sexton  of  this  church  and  to  have  the  honor  of  going  up 
into  that  steeple  once  a  week  to  wind  the  clock  and  ring  the 
bell. 

I  have  been  trying  to  remember  something  of  the  sermons 
preached  in  those  days,  or  of  the  prayers  that  were  uttered. 
I  fear  they  made  a  less  lasting  impression  than  the  lozenges. 
There  is  only  one  phrase  that  I  have  succeeded  in  rescuing  from 
the  oblivion  of  the  past.  As  I  used  to  sit  down  in  that  pew  I 
remember  that  almost  every  Sunday  a  certain  petition  was 
uttered  from  this  pulpit  which  puzzled  me  very  much.  It 
was,  "That  the  middle  wall  of  partition  might  be  broken  down." 
I  puzzled  over  it  a  long  time.  Summoning  up  my  courage  I 
once  inquired  at  the  paternal  source  of  information  and  author- 
ity. I  was  promptly  told  to  look  it  up  in  the  dictionary.  That, 
however,  did  not  give  me  very  satisfactory  information.  I 
found  out  what  a  partition  was;  then  I  applied  it  to  the  wall 
behind  the  pulpit  which  separated  the  church  from  the  Sunday 
School  room.  Every  Sunday  morning  the  prayer  was  made 
that  that  partition  wall  should  be  broken  down,  and  I  watched 
anxiously  to  see  the  cracks  appear.  I  do  not  think  I  ever 
really  understood  the  meaning  of  that  prayer  until  I  came 
back  this  time.  I  have  begun  to  realize  now  what  it  meant, 
and  I  begin  to  understand  how  it  is  being  answered.  How 
strong  the  partition  wall  was  in  those  days!  The  great  wall 
between  the  denominations  was  almost  impassable.  I  should 
have  felt  that  to  enter  the  service  of  another  denomination 
was  an  adventure  fraught  with  serious  danger.  The  wall 
between  the  nations,  how  strong  it  was!  But  now, — here  in 
your  church — how  all  the  walls  are  broken  down  to-day.  In 
this  very  service  all  the  denominations  are  made  one.  How 
wondrously  the  real  meaning  of  that  prayer  is  finding  its  ful- 
filment, not  only  in  church  life,  but  in  doing  away  with  the 
divisions  between  the  classes  and  the  nations.  It  is  actually 
being  done  right  here  behind  this  very  wall  I  used  to  watch. 

I  rejoice  with  you,  my  friends,  to  be  here  to-day,  and  to 


96 

realize  how  in  this  great  and  growing  city,  with  its  problems 
of  government  and  of  industrial  life,  with  its  task  of  dealing 
with  new  classes  of  people  and  men  of  strange  nations  and 
different  tongues  who  are  thronging  in  upon  you  by  the  thous- 
and, you  are  yourself  fulfilling  that  prayer  in  the  greatest 
way,  in  a  manner  far  beyond  the  vision  of  any  of  us  in  those 
early  days, — you  are  breaking  down  all  the  old  walls  of  parti- 
tion that  have  sundered  men,  and  are  making  them  one  by  the 
power  of  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  We  are  now  to  have  some  congratulatory  addresses 
from  pastors  of  different  churches  of  this  city.  As  you  all  know,  the  South 
Congregational  Church  of  this  city  is  daughter  of  this  church.  I  don't 
know  but  I  ought  to  term  her  the  runaway  daughter  of  the  church,  but 
I  wish  to  tell  this  daughter  to-night  that  she  has  been  forgiven  long  ago. 
It  is  a  disappointment  to  us  that  Dr.  Davis  cannot  be  with  us,  and  yet  I 
think  it  is  perhaps  more  fitting  that  Mr.  Woodruff,  associate  pastor,  should 
speak  in  behalf  of  that  church,  for  we  appreciate  her  youthfulness.  She 
was  born  in  1842 — just  think  how  young  she  is!  Yet,  she  has  gro>vn, 
as  so  many  of  our  daughters  do,  larger  than  her  mother;  but  it  is  the  youth- 
fulness  of  that  church  that  is  borne  in  upon  us  to-night,  and  it  is  fitting 
that  the  junior  pastor  of  that  church  should  speak  to  us,  Rev.  Watson 
Woodruff. 


ADDRESS  OF  REV.  WATSON  WOODRUFF 

It  is  a  pleasure  at  this  time  to  extend  to  you,  the  members 
of  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  the  greetings  and  congratula- 
tions of  that  church  which  is  bound  to  this  church  by  so  many 
and  so  very  strong  ties.  We  are  bound  to  you  by  the  ties  of 
sympathy  in  a  common  denominational  interest.  We  are 
bound  to  you  by  the  ties  that  spring  up  about  similar  problems 
and  similar  difficulties  and  similar  joys  in  striving  to  bring 
about  God's  Kingdom  in  a  similar  field.  We  are  bound  to 
you  by  ties  of  pride  in  a  common  religious  ancestry,  those 
firm,  strong,  serious,  religious  men  and  women  of  few  words 
but  mighty  deeds,  our  Puritan  ancestors.  But  most  of  all 
do  I  stand  here  with  pleasure  to-night  because  I  know  that 
the  church  which  I  have  the  honor  to  serve  is  bound  to  you 
by  ties  of  personal  love  and  sympathy  and  friendship.  And  so 
it  gives  me  great  pleasure  in  behalf  of  the  South  Church  to 
extend  to  you  our  greetings  and  congratulations;  to  bid  you 
God  speed,  and  to  hope  that  the  future  may  be  even  more 
effectual  in  the  Master's  service  than  the  past;  that  glorious 
past  in  which  you  take  such  great  pride  to-night. 

I  have  the  honor  to  read  resolutions  from  the  South  Church 
to  the  First  Church  of  Christ. 


98 

To  the  First  Church  of  Christ  in  New  Britain,  Conn.  : 

The  South  Church  extends  its  congratulations  to  the  First 
Church  at  this  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary. 

We  congratulate  our  mother  church: 

That  it  has  so  complete  an  equipment  of  sanctuary, 
chapel,  and  other  requisites  for  its  varied  comprehen- 
sive work; 

That  it  has  had  a  long  line  of  devoted  pastors,  and  an 
honored  roll  of  faithful  officers,  who  have  ministered 
to  its  needs  and  directed  its  work; 

That  it  has  had  a  large  list  of  loyal  members  who  in 
serving  the  church  with  fidelity,  have  contributed 
largely  to  the  welfare  of  the  community; 

That  the  relations  between  the  two  churches — mother 
and  daughter — have  been  so  cordial  and  pleasant, 
that  with  the  constant  interchange  of  these  relations 
there  has  been  fraternal  union,  a  common  aim  and 
purpose,  knowing  that  One  was  our  Master,  even 
Christ,  and  all  we  were  brethren. 

With  these  congratulations  we  wish  you  joy  and  prosper- 
ity, and  pray  that  "the  Lord  of  peace  Himself  will 
give  you  peace  always,"  with  everlasting  happiness. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  No  one  who  knows  the  heart  of  this  church  can 
doubt  the  deep  affection,  friendship  and  fellowship  that  exists  on  the  part 
of  this  church  toward  the  Trinity  Methodist  Church  and  its  pastor  and  its 
members.  We  hear  it  said  that  former  days  were  not  better  than  these 
but  yet  I  look  back  at  some  of  the  privileges  that  belonged  to  this  congre- 
gation in  earlier  days  with  a  strange  feeling,  for  Dr.  Smalley  took  occasion 
at  one  time  to  warn  this  congregation  against  those  "terrible  heretics,  the 
Methodists."  I  had  no  one  to  warn  me  and  I  married  one  of  them.  Dr. 
Bell  is  smaller  physically  than  I  am,  so  that  I  shall  feel  perfectly  safe  to 
invite  him  into  this  pulpit  with  me  to-night  and  to  receive  the  words  of 
greeting  from  our  sister  church,  the  beloved  Trinity  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  New  Britain. 


ADDRESS  OF  REV.  J.  H.  BELL,  Ph.D. 

My  dear  friends,  I  do  not  understand  just  what  form  Mr. 
Maier  expects  my  congratulations  to  take,  since  he  expresses 
himself  as  having  no  fear  of  me  because  I  am  a  smaller  man 
physically  than  he  is,  nor  do  I  quite  know  whether  at  this  time 
to  congratulate  myself  more  than  you;  certainly  as  regards  this 
particular  performance  I  congratulate  myself  vastly  more  than 
I  can  possibly  congratulate  you.  The  first  reason  that  prompts 
me  to  congratulate  myself  is  because  I  come  so  early  on  the 
program.  The  last  time  it  was  my  privilege  to  speak  when  the 
pastors  of  the  city  spoke  together,  we  had  some  seventeen 
or  eighteen  speakers  and  they  were  all  limited  to  five  minutes. 
They  failed  to  observe  the  limit,  however,  for  each  man  as 
he  came  spoke  a  little  longer  than  his  predecessor.  Some  of 
the  speeches  were  a  half  hour  long.  Dr.  Davis  had  charge  of 
the  program,  and  he  hammered  me  unmercifully  all  through  the 
program,  but  reserved  me  till  the  last,  and  then,  after  keeping 
me  waiting  until  half  past  ten,  he  rose  and  said  that  inasmuch 
as  the  hour  was  so  very  late  and  the  audience  had  listened  so 
patiently  up  to  that  time,  the  remaining  speech  would  be 
omitted.  I  consider  myself,  therefore,  very  fortunate  in 
coming  so  early  on  the  program  to-night,  and  I  desire  to  say 
to  my  bi'ethren  who  arc  to  succeed  me  that  I  propose  to  take 
my  full  time,  and  if  I  trespass  at  all  on  their  time  they  will 


100 

remember  that  I  was  not  permitted  to  speak  on  the  occasion 
to  which  I  refer. 

When  I  came  in  here  to-night  Mr.  Maier  greeted  me  with 
the  statement  that  at  first  I  was  to  take  my  place  in  front  and 
listen  to  the  sons  of  the  church  speak.     I  did  not  know  what 
he  meant,  and  thought  it  was  a  reflection  on  my  age,  and  I  was 
prepared  to  resent  it.     It  reminded  me  of  an  experience,  for 
I  have  had  some  experiences  along  this  line  of  late.     Not  long 
since  it  was  my  privilege  to  visit  a  Baptist  clergyman  in  whose 
church  I  was  to  preach.     I  arrived  after  night-fall,  so  the  little 
ones  were  all  snug  in  bed  and  I  was  not  permitted  to  see  them. 
However,  I  was  up  bright  and  early  the  next  morning,  ahead 
of  the  members  of  the  family.    While  I  was  walking  about  the 
parlor,  interesting  myself  in  books  and  pictures,  suddenly  a 
little  tousled  head  appeared  and  a  little  three-year-old  entered 
the  room,  and  at  my  greeting  came  directly  to  me  and  with 
astonishingly  little  fear  received  my  greetings  though  I  was  a 
stranger.     In   a  few   moments  she  disappeared   and   soon   I 
learned  why  she  came  to  me  so  readily.     She  ran  up-stairs  to 
her  mother,  and  cried  in  great  glee:     "Oh,  Mamma,  Grandpa 
is  down-stairs."     So  you  see,  my  friends,  I  am  a  little  sensitive 
on  the  point  of  age,  and  when  Mr.  Maier  said  that  the  sons  of 
the  church  would  speak  first,  I  wondered  where  I  came  in 
and  what  my  relationship  to  this  church  properly  is.     I  have 
been  wondering  ever  since,  but  I  think  I  have  at  last  figured  it 
out  accurately.     It  has  come  to  me  that  I  am  a  brother-in-law. 
Mr.  Maier  has  already  mentioned  the  fact  v/hich  certainly 
sustains  my  contention  that  I  am  a  brother-in-law  of  the  First 
Church.    The  gracious  lady  v/ho  presides  over  the  parsonage 
and  the  parson,  had  an  excellent  Methodist  training  and  I  think 
on  that  account  at  least  I  have  the  right  to  claim  that  I  am 
a  brother-in-law  of  the  church. 

I  must  now  come  to  the  speech.  It  gives  me  great  pleas- 
ure to  share  in  these  very  happy  events.  I  esteem  it  a  privilege 
to  bring  to  you,  brethren  of  the  First  Church,  my  offering, 
inconsiderable  though  it  is,  of  congratulation  and  good  will. 
And  not  only  do  I  speak  for  myself  but  for  the  entire  church 
of  which  I  have  the  honor  to  be  the  pastor,  which  acknowl- 
edges through  me  your  very  gracious  invitation  extended  to 
it.  I  understand  that  this  is  your  one  hundred  and  fiftieth 
anniversary.  Now  I  suppose  there  are  some  people  who 
think  that  represents  a  long  period  of  time.     In  fact,  I  have 


101 

heard  certain  people  characterize  you  as  the  "old"  First  Church. 
I  want  to  say  to  you,  my  friends,  that  I  am  here  to-night  to 
congratulate  you  on  your  youth.  What  is  one  hundred  and 
fifty  years  in  the  life  of  the  church  of  Christ!  I  am  reminded 
of  the  words  of  Victor  Hugo.  "One  hundred  years,"  he  says, 
"is  youth  in  a  church  and  age  in  a  house.  Man's  lodging  seems 
to  partake  of  his  ephemeral  character,  and  God's  house  of  His 
eternity."  And  how  true  it  is.  I  congratulate  you  on  your 
youth.  I  have  indeed  been  delighted  with  these  charming 
reminiscences  to  which  we  have  listened.  And  you  do  well 
to  remind  yourselves  at  this  time  of  the  things  that  have 
transpired  in  the  past.  And  yet  the  picture  of  you  that  fills 
me  with  interest  and  inspiration  is  that  of  a  sturdy  youth  whose 
face  is  toward  the  future,  whose  heart  is  filled  with  hope  and 
ambition,  whose  whole  soul  yearns  for  the  struggle  in  which 
he  is  to  perform  a  noble  part.  As  I  said  a  moment  ago,  I 
think  you  are  quite  right  in  calling  up  these  charming  and 
delightful  recollections  of  the  past.  This  is  the  time  for  it. 
And  yet  I  am  sure  you  share  with  me  the  feeling  that  there 
lurks  a  snare  and  a  danger  in  everlastingly  boasting  of  and 
dwelling  in  the  past.  I  need  not  develop  that  thought;  it  is 
not  necessary  here.  It  is  quite  impossible  for  any  Congre- 
gational church  to  yield  to  that  danger.  It  is  not  in  the 
genius  of  Congregationalism  to  easily  fall  into  such  error. 
But  it  would  be  easy  for  me  to  illustrate  in  the  history  of  the 
Christian  church  the  peril  of  indulging  the  feeling  that  because 
we  have  an  ancient  history  therefore  we  must  be  the  one  and 
the  only  thing.  My  dear  brethren,  as  we  take  our  place  in 
the  great  field  of  Christian  labor,  our  inspiration  must  be  what 
is  before  us,  not  what  is  behind  us.  And  why?  Because  "the 
year's  at  the  spring.  The  day's  at  the  morn."  This  must  be 
our  motto  more  and  more. 

And  then  I  congratulate  you  on  your  fraternal  spirit,  the 
spirit  which  is  so  admirably  exemplified  in  this  service  to  which 
we  are  gathered  to-night.  I  wish  there  were  more  of  it  in  this 
city.  Let  me  say  that  I  am  the  oldest  pastor  here  except  my 
friend  Anderson  yonder.  I  have  seen  every  one  of  the  pastors 
go  out  of  these  churches  which  face  directly  on  the  center. 
Dr.  Cooper  went  just  as  I  came,  then  my  beloved  friend  Mr. 
Strong  left  the  Baptist  Church,  and  then  in  great  sorrow  of 
heart  it  was  my  privilege  to  stand  upon  this  platform  when  the 
form  of  my  honored  friend  and  colleague,  Dr.  Hall,  lay  before 


102 

me.  I  feel  as  if  I  had  the  right  to  claim  citizenship  in  New 
Britain,  but  I  have  felt  ever  since  I  came  here  that  there  is 
need  of  a  larger  fraternal  spirit  in  our  churches.  If  our  trouble 
is  provincialism,  or  conservatism  or  sacred  laziness,  let  us  get 
rid  of  it  and  have  done  with  it  forever,  that  we  may  stand  close 
together  in  the  common  cause  which  we  represent.  Do  we 
not  follow  the  same  Christ?  Do  we  not  preach  the  same  Gos- 
pel? Do  we  not  face  the  same  world  of  need?  I  beg  to  say 
that  there  is  not  a  man  in  this  audience  who  could  tell  the 
difference  between  a  Methodist  and  a  Congregational  sermon 
to-day.  I  would  like  to  see  several  times  within  the  year  a 
great  rousing  meeting  where  all  these  churches  would  come 
together  that  it  might  be  impressed  upon  the  mind  and  con- 
science of  this  city  that  we  are  one  in  Christ  Jesus. 

There  is  one  other  thing  that  I  should  like  to  congratulate 
you  upon,  and  in  order  to  do  that  I  shall  have  to  change  the 
pronoun  from  "it"  to  "he."  I  know  the  old  adage:  "Praise 
to  the  face  is  open  disgrace."  And  I  am  not  going  to  praise 
him,  but  I  do  congratulate  the  First  Church  upon  its  present 
pastor,  a  royal  man,  a  brother  beloved.  And  do  you  know, 
my  friends,  I  am  more  and  more  convinced  that  the  pastor's 
spirit  and  the  pastor's  influence  most  certainly  register  them- 
selves in  the  life  and  spirit  and  conduct  of  his  people.  You 
follow  the  ministry  of  any  man  for  a  number  of  years,  especially 
if  he  is  a  man  with  striking  personality,  and  you  will  find  that 
somehow  or  other  the  congregation  to  whom  he  ministers 
receives  and  reflects  his  spirit.  I  can  wish  no  better  thing  for 
this  church  than  that  the  spirit  of  our  brother  be  reflected 
in  the  life  of  this  people.  God  bless  you  pastor  and  people, 
and  give  you  many  golden  years— years  without  number — 
in  the  ministry  and  service  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  I  regret  very  much  to  state  to  you  that  the  Rev. 
A.  C.  Bacon,  pastor  of  a  granddaughter  of  this  church,  is  ill  and  will  not 
be  able  to  be  with  us  to-night. 

We  have  with  us  one  whose  work  has  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
the  city.  We  have  been  sorry  and  glad  to  give  him  many  of  our  members 
to  work  with  him.  We  know  they  are  in  good  care  and  are  receiving  a 
good  training.  I  gladly  welcome  here  to-night  the  pastor  of  the  People's 
Church,  the  Rev.  M.  S.  Anderson. 


ADDRESS  OF  REV.  M.  S.  ANDERSON 

Dear  Brethren  and  Members  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ: 

It  is  an  honor  and  privilege  to  be  the  bearer  of  greetings 
and  congratulations  to  you  from  the  People's  Church  of  Christ 
upon  this  your  one  hundred  and  fiftieth  anniversary.  That  you 
should  observe  this  glad  occasion  is  indeed  most  fitting  and 
appropriate.  You  have  had  as  a  church  in  this  community 
a  long  and  honorable  career.  As  the  pioneer  of  evangelical 
Christianity  you  have  not  only  planted  here  the  standard 
of  the  cross  of  Christ,  but  in  a  larger  measure  perhaps  than 
any  other  body  of  believers  you  have,  upon  the  whole,  main- 
tained the  honor  of  our  holy  faith. 

Our  fathers  had  great  problems  to  meet  and  difficulties 
to  face  and  were  handicapped  by  limitations  with  which  we 
are  unfamiliar,  but  as  they  confidently  looked  to  God  for  help 
and  trusted  in  His  sure  Word,  they  won  victories  and  have 
bequeathed  to  us  a  glorious  heritage.  We  have  our  problems  to 
face  to-day  which  are  as  perplexing  and  far-reaching  as  any 
that  ever  confronted  the  church  of  Christ.  While  conditions 
have  changed  with  the  passing  years  and  the  tactics  of  warfare 
by  the  world,  the  flesh  and  the  devil  have  been  radicallj'  changed, 
the  battle  is  still  on  between  the  hosts  of  righteousness  and 
the  powers  of  darkness.  We  need  to  double  our  diligence, 
double  our  guards,  strengthen  our  lines  and  prepare  for  more 
aggressive  warfare,  rather  than  lower  our  standard  or  consent 
to  compromise.  The  plan  of  campaign  against  the  church 
has  changed  from  open  hostility  to  subtility  and  deception. 
The  bold  attacks  of  infidelity  in  the  past  were  less  to  be  feared 


104 

than  present  day  destructive  criticism,  that  would  eliminate 
the  supernatural,  mutilate  the  sacred  teachings  of  the  Word  of 
God  and  rob  our  adorable  Lord  of  His  deity. 

Unto  us,  as  disciples  of  Jesus,  and  as  His  representatives 
during  this  age  of  His  rejection,  when  we  are  called  to  go  out- 
side the  camp  and  share  His  reproach,  we  have  been  given  the 
great  commission  of  world-wide  evangelization.  We  are  not  only 
called  to  the  defense  of  a  pure  Gospel  but  to  an  aggressive  work 
of  making  Christ  known  throughout  the  world  as  the  only 
Redeemer  and  personal  Savior  of  men.  Our  commission  has 
not  been  changed  with  the  generations  that  have  come  and 
gone.  The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  still  the  same  power  of  God  unto 
salvation  to  those  who  believe;  the  needs  of  sinful  humanity 
are  the  same;  the  eternal  realities  of  heaven  and  hell  are  the 
same,  and  blessed  be  God,  Jesus  Christ  is  the  "same,  yester- 
day, to-day  and  forever." 

We  congratulate  this  dear  people,  the  pastor  and  members 
of  this  parish,  for  the  great  and  glorious  work  which  God 
hath  wrought  through  you  and  your  predecessors.  We  bid 
you  Godspeed  and  pray  that  through  coming  days  until  the 
church  militant  becomes  the  church  triumphant  and  glorified, 
you  may  continue  to  contend  earnestly  for  the  faith  once  for 
all  delivered  unto  the  saints. 


Mr.  Maier  said:  This  church  had  not  been  planted  in  New  Britain 
more  than  fifty  years  before  "those  Baptists"  began  to  come  into  this  com- 
munity. I  had  not  been  in  this  church  more  than  fifty  days  before  that 
Baptist  minister  began  to  creep  into  my  heart  and  he  has  had  a  place  there 
ever  since,  and  I  am  glad  to  have  him  speak  to  you  to-night. 

ADDRESS  OF  REV.  T.  EDWIN  BROWN,  D.  D. 

I  should  think  you  would  all  be  dead;  at  least,  that  you 
would  all  feel  that  you  are  yourselves  one  hundred  and  fifty 
years  old,  and  were  somehow  entitled  to  a  little  foretaste  of 
the  rest  of  the  immortals.  The  most  gracious  thing  I  could  do 
for  you  at  this  late  hour  would  be  to  pronounce  the  benediction, 
which  with  all  my  heart  I  proceed  to  do, — though  not  to  dismiss 
the  meeting  just  yet.  For  you,  my  colleague  and  friend. 
Pastor  Maier,  and  for  you,  brothers  and  sisters  of  this  First 
Church  of  Christ,  Christian,  I  pray,  "the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  be  with  you  all."  And  the  people  whom  I  serve 
add  to  their  pastor's  benediction  their  accordant  Amen! 

One  of  the  causes  I  find  in  your  history  for  my  own  special 
congratulation  is  in  the  fact  that  you  selected  so  famous  a 
day  on  which  to  be  born,  April  the  nineteenth.  It  was  not 
famous  when  you  were  born.  Your  being  born  on  that  day 
began  to  make  it  famous.  It  very  soon  acquired  a  world-wide 
fame.  When  you,  then  a  demure  Puritan  maiden,  were  cele- 
brating your  sweet  seventeenth  in  1775,  at  Lexington  and  Con- 
cord Bridge  "the  embattled  farmers  fired  the  shot" — you  know 
the  rest,  and  all  the  glorious  history  that  succeeded  it.  Then 
just  after  you  had  rounded  your  century,  April  19,  1861,  the 
blood  of  Massachusetts  soldiers  was  spilled  in  the  streets  of 
Baltimore.  And  then,  four  years  later,  alas,  the  day!  April 
19th,  1865,  the  martyred  body  of  our  great  Lincoln  left  the 
White  House  for  its  final  resting  place. 

But  time  would  fail  for  me  to  tell  you  of  the  many  famous 
things  that  have  happened  on  April  19th.  On  one  April  19th 
a  lad  and  a  lassie  joined  hands  to  travel  together  through  life, 
for  better  or  for  worse.  And  in  the  years  since  then  there 
has  been  ever  so  much  better  and  ever  so  little  worse,  and  God 


106 

has  been  good,  and  life  has  been  sweet,  and  home  has  been 
a  glimpse  of  heaven,  so  that  a  man  stands  here  to-night  so 
grateful  for  it  all  that  he  asks  the  privilege  of  joining  his. April 
19th  with  your  April  19th,  red  letter  days  both  in  his  calendar 
and  yours. 

I  bring  you  to-night,  dear  friends,  not  only  the  hearty 
greetings  of  my  people,  your  neighbors  and  friends,  but  I 
bring  you  the  greeting  of  the  larger  brotherhood  who  under 
the  one  great  standard  are  carrying  the  flag  of  the  Baptist 
army  corps.     I  have  special  right  to  speak  for  that  larger 
brotherhood.     My  friend,  Pastor  Maier,  I  know  how  you  feel. 
I  know  what  it  is  to  have  the  megacephalic  ache  that  comes 
from  the  pressure  of  historic  centuries  on  one's  brain.     But  if 
to  your  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  you  could  add  a  whole 
other  one  hundred  more,  then  indeed  your  eyes  might  stand 
out  for  fatness,  and  your  form  expand  in  stature  and  in  girth 
for  the  fulness  of  that  joy.     That  joy  I  have  known,  and  I 
have  not  gotten  over  the  pride  of  it  yet.     It  was  my  privilege 
as  the  pastor  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  in  Providence,  Rhode 
Island,  worshiping  in  the  ancient  sanctuary,  which  in  its  sim- 
ple classic  beauty  has  stood  among  its  elms  since  1775,  a 
sanctuary  much  older  than  this  and  at  least  as  beautiful,  to 
lead  that  people  back  for  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  to  the 
day  of  their  founding  at  the  head  of  Narragansett  Bay.    Here 
Roger  Williams,  exile,  planted  in  the  wilderness  a  church 
where  three  years  before  he  had  planted  a  state,  and  Hghted 
there  for  both  church  and  state  the  torch  of  a  religious  freedom 
whose  light  and  heat  are  now  seen  and  felt  throughout  the 
world.     I  am  not  going  to  rake  over  those  old  "ashes  from 
history's  buried  urn,"  nor  am  I  going  to  attempt  to  adjust  the 
praise  or  blame  as  to  why  your  ancestors  and  mine  could  not 
live  at  peace  together,  but  that  Roger  had  to  get  out  of  Massa- 
chusetts Bay  for  the  colony's  good.     I  am  glad  to  leave  all 
that.     I  am  especially  glad  to  leave  it  in  the  presence  of  my 
Congregational  friends,  because  one  of  their  own  kin,   the 
Congregationalist,  Prof.  Moses   Coit  Tyler,  has  said   of  my 
Roger,  "He  stands  in  New  England  a  mighty,  benignant  form, 
always  pleading  for  some   magnanimous  idea,   some  tender 
grace,  the  rectification  of  some  wrong,  the  exercise  of  some  sort 
of  forbearance."     I  am  glad  to  "let  by-gones  be  by-gones," 
also  because  my  Roger  and  your  Winthrop,  John  junior,  Con- 
necticut's great  Governor,   struck  up  a  sort  of  David  and 


107 

Jonathan  friendship,  so  that  during  the  winter  of  1660  my 
Roger  writes  to  your  John  thus:  "Your  loving  lines  in  this 
cold,  dead  winter,  were  as  a  cup  of  your  Connecticut  cider, 
which  I  am  glad  to  hear  abounds  with  you."  And  so  to-night, 
forgetting  all  quarrels,  we  two,  you  and  I,  my  brother,  descend- 
ants of  the  Connecticut  Congregationalist  Winthrop  and  of 
the  Rhode  Island  Baptist  Williams,  pledge  each  other  in  new 
loyalty  and  truth,  not  in  a  cup  of  Connecticut  cider,  but  in 
the  loving  cup  of  the  grace  and  fellowship  of  Jesus  Christ. 
FVom  the  beginning  of  our  denominational  history  we 
Baptists  and  you  Congregationalists,  so  close  of  kin,  have  stood 
together  ever  loyally  for  recognition  of  the  principle  that 
every  believer  is  a  priest  and  a  king,  and  that  any  intermediary 
between  the  soul  and  Jesus  Christ  was  not  to  be  tolerated.  Out 
of  that  principle  we,  perhaps  a  little  earlier,  but  you,  the  whole 
of  it  later  on,  have  learned  that  since  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Lord 
of  the  conscience,  no  state  can  be  the  Lord  of  the  conscience 
and  no  church  can  be  the  Lord  of  the  conscience,  and  hence 
have  come  our  principles  of  personal  freedom  and  local  church 
independency.  Under  this  banner,  in  the  growth  of  our 
churches  at  home  and  in  the  expansion  of  our  missions  abroad, 
we  have  marvelously  prospered.  Next  to  the  gift  of  God's 
own  Son  and  Spirit,  the  greatest  boon  our  Father  has  conferred 
upon  our  race  is  the  liberty  wherewith  Jesus  makes  His  people 
free.  The  history  of  man  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  is  the 
drama  of  liberty,  the  struggle  for  the  freedom  of  the  spirit, 
for  the  reign  of  the  soul.  President  Nicholas  Murray  Butler 
of  Columbia  University  has  said:  "The  most  precious  thing 
in  the  world  is  the  individual  human  mind  and  soul,  with  its 
capacity  for  growth  and  service.  To  bind  it  fast  to  a  formula, 
to  hold  it  in  check  to  serve  the  selfish  ends  of  mediocrity,  to 
deny  it  utterance  and  expression,  political,  economic  and  moral, 
is  to  make  democracy  impossible  as  a  permanent  social  and 
governmental  form."  With  a  great  price  our  fathers  obtained 
that  freedom,  and  we  their  sons  will  endanger  or  minimize 
it  at  our  peril  and  to  our  shame.  Surrender  it  we  never 
can.  The  lamented  Charles  Cuthbert  Hall,  late  Presi- 
dent of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  said:  "The  world 
is  broad.  The  arch  of  God's  great  blue  above  us  is  wide. 
One  star  differs  from  another  star  in  glory.  The  soul  of 
man,  as  his  body,  finds  its  joy  and  its  peace  and  its  oppor- 
tunity of  widest  service  on  the  hills  of  God,  where  its  feet  are 


108 

unfettered  rather  than  in  the  prison  lock-step  of  any  enforced 
subscription  or  any  compelled  ecclesiastical  uniformity,"  and 
the  message  of  your  brothers,  who  used  to  be  on  yonder  corner, 
to  you,  staying  for  the  years  to  come  on  this  one,  is  this: 
Stand  by  your  independency.  Let  no  man  take  away  that 
crown.  If  in  the  conflicts  of  the  future  you  shall  find  that 
liberty  is  being  hard  pressed  and  is  becoming  endangered  by 
any  claim  of  old  Catholicism  or  of  new  Catholicism,  or  of  any 
sort  of  Catholicism  except  the  great  Christian  catholicity  of 
love  to  the  one  Christ,  who  is  in  us  all,  the  catholicity  of  the 
catholic,  comprehensive,  universal  Christ, — in  that  hour  of 
peril  you  shall  find  close  at  your  side  for  every  service  to  our 
Master  and  our  common  humanity,  your  brothers  of  the  Baptist 
line,  ready  to  make  any  sacrifice  that  they  may  keep  alive 
and  aloft  the  spirit  of  personal  freedom  by  which  alone  we 
can  maintain  an  enduring  Christian  brotherhood.  Personal 
religion,  a  Christ-like  man  cultivating  personal  relations  with 
Christ,  and  free  to  cultivate  them,  cultivating  toward  his 
brothers  the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  free  to  cultivate  that — a 
Christ-hke  man  living  out  Christ's  religion — this  is  the  rock 
on  which  Christ  is  building  the  church  against  which  the  gates 
of  hell  shall  never  prevail. 

"God  make  you  yet,  through  centuries  long 
In  peace  secure,  in  justice  strong; 
Around  your  gift  of  freedom  draw 
The  safeguard  of  His  righteous  law: 
And,  cast  in  some  diviner  mould, 
Let  the  new  cycle  shame  the  old!" 


Mr.  Maier  said:  Rev.  Harry  I.  Bodley,  of  St.  Mark's  Episcopal 
Church,  was  asked  to  be  present  and  take  part  with  us  in  these  exercises. 
He  informed  the  chairman  of  the  committee  that  it  would  be  necessary 
for  him  to  be  out  of  the  city  to-day.  We  found  out  to-day  that  Mr.  Bodley 
had  changed  his  plan  and  was  to  be  in  the  city,  and  I  have  at  last  discovered 
him  in  this  congregation,  and  I  would  like  to  ask  him  if  he  will  not  come 
forward  and  give  us  just  a  word. 


ADDRESS  OF  REV.  HARRY  I.  BODLEY 

I  don't  know  of  any  Methodist  arithmetic,  but  if  there  be 
such  then  in  it  five  years  are  more  than  nine.  Dr.  Bell  has 
been  here  five  years;  I  will  be  here  nine  years  the  first  of  August. 
Now,  having  corrected  his  monumental  whopper  I  will  correct 
my  own.  I  have  been  detained  at  home  notwithstanding 
the  temptation  of  the  gift  of  fifty  dollars  as  a  bribe  to  go  away 
and  stay  away  and  a  promise  of  a  substitute  over  Sunday  to 
rest  my  congregation,  because  of  very  serious  illness  and  sorrow 
that  came  into  my  parish.  One  of  my  former  choir  boys  was 
exceedingly  ill  and  has  died,  for  whose  sake  I  stayed.  That 
has  given  me  the  opportunity  and  privilege  of  being  here 
to-night. 

I  have  had  some  grave  disadvantages  in  my  life;  I  was 
bom  in  the  South  and  an  Episcopalian,  and  after  hearing  some 
of  the  things  that  were  said  to-night  I  realize  more  than  ever 
how  serious  a  thing  it  is  for  one's  ancestors  not  to  come  over 
at  least  in  the  steerage  of  the  Mayflower.  Now  I  want  to 
congratulate  you  to-night  on  just  two  things.  One  of  them 
is  the  natural  product  of  democracy  and  Congregationalism. 
That  means  the  concentration  of  all  the  power  that  God  has 
^ven  to  men  and  the  co-operation  which  God  has  continued 
to  extend  to  men  in  the  development  of  the  individual.  It 
means  that  in  the  state  and  in  the  church,  the  individual  comes 
first  and  shall  be  the  prominent  object  before  the  eye  of  all 
the  laws  and  ordinances  that  shall  be  pa.s.sed  for  the  mutual 
benefit.  But  the  moment  you  admit  mutual  benefit,  you  admit 
the  rights  of  other  men  and  women  in  you,  and  that  no  man 
stands  alone  before  God,  because  there  is  a  brother  on  either 


110 

side  of  each  of  us  who  has  an  interest  in  all  that  one  is  and  says 
and  does,  or  else  there  would  be  no  need  for  the  Golden  Rule 
or  the  Ten  Commandments.  You  have  developed  splendid 
types  of  manhood  and  womanhood,  and  I  congratulate  you 
upon  all  the  product  of  that  individualism  that  is  character- 
istic of  your  polity,  from  the  men  who  founded  this  church  and 
this  town,  who  were  an  honor  unto  this  institution  and  would 
be  to  any  other,  to  those  young  men  who  stood  here  to-night 
as  the  product  of  the  later  days  of  the  same  institution. 

I  have  some  advantages  in  my  life  also.  One  of  them  is 
that  I  have  lived  four  years  in  Prof.  Perrin's  father's  house. 
I  have  had  my  study  in  that  house  almost  nine  years  and  it  is 
there  to-day.  It  was  because  I  was  detained  in  Dr.  Perrin's 
house  attending  to  two  or  three  engagements,  choir,  woman's 
guild,  young  men's  guild,  etc.,  that  I  was  a  little  late  here 
to-night.  Another  of  the  advantages  that  have  come  into 
my  life  was  that  Mr.  Denison's  father,  if  I  mistake  not,  went 
from  here,  to  Williamstown,  Massachusetts,  and  shortly  after 
I  became  the  rector  of  St,  John's  Church,  North  Adams, 
where  the  Rev.  Theodore  T.  Munger  was  my  friend  and 
colleague  in  the  Congregational  Church,  and  Dr.  Denison  was 
the  Congregational  minister  in  the  neighboring  college  town, 
Williamstown.  At  the  present  time  Mr.  Walter  (the  third  of 
these  later  sons  of  this  church)  is  my  next  door  neighbor; 
so  that  I  have  been  able  to  a  certain  extent,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, to  touch  the  life  of  this  congregation,  and  of  the  latest 
and  some  of  the  best  products  of  it  in  three  different  directions, 
and  I  count  it  a  privilege  that  it  should  be  so. 

I  have  also  had  another  advantage  in  my  ministry  and  that 
is  that  three  times  I  have  succeeded  a  Congregational  minister. 
The  Rev.  Elisha  Whittlesey  was  the  pastor  of  one  of  the  Con- 
gregational Churches  in  Waterbury,  but  he  entered  the  Episco- 
pal Church  and  though  his  father  had  been  one  of  the  valued 
deacons  of  the  church  in  Salisbury,  Litchfield  County,  and 
his  father-in-law  and  himself  Congregational  ministers  in 
Canaan,  yet  I  followed  him  as  rector  of  the  Episcopal  Church 
there.  I  succeeded  him  the  second  time  as  secretary  of  our 
Educational  Society  for  the  preparation  of  our  young  men  for 
the  ministry,  and  I  succeeded  the  Rev.  Jacob  A.  Biddle  (as 
archdeacon  of  Hartford),  who  had  been  a  very  prominent 
Congregational  minister  in  Central  New  York.  Thus  you 
see  that  the    early  disadvantages  of    bu-th  and  of  religious 


Ill 

education  have  been  more  or  less  offset  by  these  things,  and 
when  I  am  tempted  to  be  carried  away  too  much,  as  Dr. 
Brown  and  some  of  my  Baptist  brothers  are,  by  certain  matters 
of  ritual,  for  our  Baptist  friends  are  the  greatest  ritualists  in 
the  world,  and  when  I  am  apt  to  be  carried  away  with  other 
forms  and  ceremonies,  like  a  vested  choir,  and  when  I  am  apt 
to  think  too  much  about  the  apostolic  succession  and  about 
the  appointment  of  bishops  in  the  church  of  God,  why,  I  sim- 
ply go  back  and  recall  the  fact  that  my  great-grandfather  and 
my  great-great-grandfather  on  my  father's  side  are  buried 
in  a  Presbyterian  church-yard,  and  that  my  great-grandfather 
and  great-grandmother  on  the  other  side  were  married  in 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Philadelphia,  where  you  will 
find  the  record  to-day.  So  much  for  some  of  the  advantages 
that  have  come  into  my  life. 

I  wish  in  the  second  place  to  congratulate  you  on  the  fact 
that  you  have  founded,  that  you  have  perpetuated  and  that 
you  are  proud  of  an  institution.  No  man  can  do  any  great 
thing  unless  he  becomes  part  of  an  institution.  It  is  because 
this  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old  church  is  a  corporate  body, 
made  up  of  many  members,  and  because  there  has  been  left 
in  it  the  odor  and  form  and  treasure  of  the  sanctity  of  the  lives 
of  the  ministers  and  laymen  that  have  constituted  it  for  this 
century  and  a  half,  that  it  is  the  power  to-day  in  New  Britain 
that  it  is.  I  was  talking  with  a  friend  of  mine  about  it  to-day. 
"Yes,"  he  said,  "it  is  like  a  bank  of  deposit — all  the  good  stays 
in,  none  of  the  bad  does,  because  when  you  come  to  deposit 
counterfeit  money  or  worthless  treasure  of  any  kind,  the  bank 
refuses  to  receive  it."  It  only  takes  the  gold  and  the  silver 
and  the  paper  that  has  a  promise  on  it  to  pay  gold  and  silver. 
It  takes  all  the  good  in  the  lives  of  those  who  have  gone  before, 
and  treasures  it  and  keeps  it  and  then  draws  out  the  compound 
interest  through  those  who  come  after,  with  all  they  can  give 
for  the  benefit  of  the  community  out  of  which  it  has  grown, 
in  which  it  has  grown,  and  for  which  it  lives  and  works. 

Now,  my  friends,  take  your  splendid  men  and  women  that 
you  make.  Keep  them  institutionally  united,  strong,  con- 
centrated, full  of  the  favor  and  grace  of  man  come  down  from 
the  past  to  yourself  in  the  present.  Don't  look  simply  at  the 
future — there  will  be  no  future  without  the  past  through  the 
present.  Let  the  balance  wheel  of  the  past  hold  the  present 
steady  from  the  vagaries  of    the  fashions  and    the  fancies  of 


112 

the  passing  age,  like  the  bonnets  that  the  women  wear  and 
must  tip  to  get  through  the  door.  That  will  pass  away  like 
many  another  fashion,  because  it  is  worthless  and  is  not  very 
pretty.  Yes!  keep  your  men  and  women  embodied  in  institu- 
tions. New  England  will  learn  by  and  by  the  reason  why  the 
community  life,  the  municipal  spirit  of  our  country,  is  so  back- 
ward and  slow  in  growing.  It  is  because  you  have  not  taught 
the  value  of  municipal,  united  life,  and  the  value  of  the  corpor- 
ate body  made  up  of  the  many  members,  which  has  been 
preached  by  St.  Paul,  and  has  been  proven  as  to  its  value  ever 
since,  and  not  least  when  about  forty-three  years  ago  your 
soldiers  came  marching  home  from  Dixey.  They  had  been 
down  there  to  lick  the  other  fellow  into  obedience  when  he 
thought  he  could  do  just  as  he  pleased  without  reference  to 
the  remainder  of  the  body  politic.  Now  the  same  thing  makes 
it  necessary  to  have  union  and  have  men  to  dwell  together 
with  a  full  sense  of  their  relationship  and  the  power  of  the 
bond  of  love  and  unity  and  combined  activity  in  the  state, 
as  makes  it  necessary  in  the  church  of  Almighty  God.  There- 
fore, 

I  congratulate  you  not  only  for  the  men  but  also  for  the 
institution,  and  in  the  spirit  of  these  Easter  flowers,  and  of  the 
New  Testament,  I  will  close  what  I  have  to  say  with  the 
prayer  and  hope  that  "the  God  of  peace  who  brought  again 
from  the  dead  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  great  Shepherd  of 
the  sheep,  through  the  blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant, 
may  make  you  perfect  in  every  good  work  to  do  His  will, 
working  in  you  that  which  is  well  pleasing  in  His  sight  through 
Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  be  glory  forever  and  ever." 


APPENDIX 


ORIGINAL  MEMBERS 
April  19,  1758 


Pastor:  Rev.  John  Smalley 

From  the  Church  at  Newington 

Major  John  Paterson  and  wife  Noah  Stanley- 
Thomas  Richards  and  wife  Ruth  Kilborn 
William  Smith  and  wife  Experience,  wife  of  Jonathan 
Ebenezer  Smith  and  wife  Griswold 
Thomas  Lusk  and  wife  Ruth,  wife  of  Robert  Woodruff 
Samuel  Richards  and  wife  Mary,  wife  of  Daniel  Kilborn 

From  the  Church  at  Kensington 

Widow  Hannah  Seymour  Nathan  Judd  and  wife 

"        Mary  Andrews  Phineas  Judd  and  wife 

"        Anna  Booth  John  Judd  and  wife 

"        Elizabeth  Lee  Joshua  Mather  and  wife 

Benjamin  Judd  and  wife  Elijah  Hart  and  wife 

Joseph  Smith  Judah  Hart  and  wife 

Rebekah,  wife  of  Daniel  Dewey  Elijah  Hart,  Jr. 
Hannah,  wife  of  Gideon  Griswold  Moses  Andrews  and  wife 
Martha,  wife  of  Samuel  Goodrich  William  Paterson 

Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  wife  Widow  Hannah  Root 

Jedediah  Smith  and  wife  John  Kelly  and  wife 

Josiah  Lee  and  wife  Joseph  Woodruff  and  wife 

Isaac  Lee  and  wife  Simeon  Woodruff  and  wife 

Stephen  Lee  Jedediah  Goodrich  and  wife 

James  Judd  Nathan  Booth  and  wife 

Uriah  Judd  and  wife  Ladwick  Hotchkiss  and  wife 


PASTORS 

Rev.  John  SMALLEY,  the  first  pastor,  was  born  in  the 
North  Society,  Lebanon,  now  Columbia,  Conn.,  June  4,  1734; 
studied  theology  under  Rev.  Dr.  Bellamy;  ordained  and  installed 
pastor  of  this  church  April  19, 1758,  and  continued  in  that  office 
until  his  death,  June  1,  1820,  aged  86  years.  Because  of  his 
infirmities  and  increasing  age,  a  colleague  was  appointed  in 
1810,  and  he  ceased,  to  a  great  extent,  from  pastoral  and  min- 
isterial labor  from  that  time.  He  held  the  pastoral  office 
sixty-two  years,  and  excepting  Rev.  Newton  Skinner,  Rev. 
E.  H.  Richardson  and  Rev.  Dr.  R.  T.  Hall,  he  is  the  only 
pastor  who  died  in  office. 

Rev.  Newton  Skinner,  the  second  pastor,  was  born  in 
East  Granby,  Conn.,  October  10, 1782,  graduated  from  Yale  Col- 
lege 1804;  studied  theology  with  Rev.  E.  Gay  of  Suffield;  was 
pastor  of  this  church  from  February  13,  1810,  to  March  31, 
1825,  when  he  suddenly  died,  aged  42  years. 

Rev.  Henry  Jones,  the  third  pastor,  was  born  October 
15, 1801,  in  Hartford,  Conn.;  graduated  from  Yale  College  1820, 
and  from  Andover  Theological  Seminary,  1824;  ordained  and  in- 
stalled pastor  of  this  church  October  11,  1825.  The  failure  of 
his  health  occasioned  his  dismission  December  19,  1827.  He 
afterwards  became  a  teacher  in  Greenfield,  Mass.,  and  in  the 
Cottage  School  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  from  1838  to  1865.  He 
died  in  Bridgeport  November  9,  1878,  aged  77  years. 

Rev.  Jonathan  Cogswell,  the  fourth  pastor,  was  born 
in  Rowley,  Mass.,  September  3,  1782;  graduated  from  Harvard 
College,  1806;  tutor  at  Bowdoin  College  1807  to  1809;  pastor 
at  Saco,  Me.,  from  October  10,  1810  to  October  16,  1828;  and 
pastor  of  this  church  from  April  29,  1829  to  April  29,  1834, 
when  he  resigned  his  pastorate  to  accept  an  appointment, 
made  March  21,  1834,  to  the  professorship  of  Ecclesiastical 
History  in  the  Theological  Institute  of  Connecticut,  then  at 
East  Windsor  Hill,  where  he  served  until  1844.  He  died  in 
New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  August  1,  1864,  aged  81  years. 


117 

Rev.  Dwight  M.  Seward,  the  fifth  pastor,  was  born  in 
Durham,  Conn.,  July  31,  1811;  graduated  from  Yale  College 
1831;  studied  theology  at  Yale  Theological  Seminary;  pastor 
of  this  church  from  February  3,  1836  to  June  15,  1842;  in 
Middlefield  from  1842  to  1845;  in  West  Hartford,  from  January 
14, 1845  to  December  18,  1850;  pastor  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
Yonkers,  N.  Y.,  from  January  1,  1851,  to  1852,  and  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church,  Yonkers,  from  April  14,  1852  to 
May  29,  1870;  having  resigned  from  failing  health,  was  without 
charge  for  some  months;  then  stated  supply  several  months 
at  West  Hoboken,  N.  J.;  supplied  at  Schroon  Lake,  N.  Y., 
summers  of  1872  and  1873;  supplied  at  Moriah,  N.  Y.,  from 
1874  to  1879;  pastor,  Presbyterian  Church,  New  Providence, 
N.  J.,  1880;  pastor,  Plymouth  Church,  Portland,  Me.,  from 
1881  to  1884;  resident  in  South  Norwalk  from  October  1,  1884. 
He  died  in  1901. 

Rev.  Chester  S.  Lyman,  the  sixth  pastor,  was  bom  in 
Manchester,  Conn.,  January  13,  1814;  graduated  from  Yale 
College  1837,  and  from  Yale  Theological  Seminary  1842;  pastor 
of  this  church  from  February  5,  1843  to  April  23,  1845.  Fail- 
ure of  health  then  occasioned  his  dismissal.  He  went  to  the 
Sandwich  Islands  and  California,  in  pursuit  of  health,  and 
returned  in  1850.  In  1859,  he  was  appointed  to  the  professor- 
ship of  Industrial  Mechanics  and  Physics  in  Yale  College.  He 
died  at  New  Haven,  Conn.,  January  29,  1890. 

Rev.  Charles  S.  Sherman,  the  seventh  pastor,  was  born 
April  26,  1810,  in  Albany,  N.  Y.;  graduated  from  Yale  College 
1835,  and  from  Andover  Theological  Seminary  1838;  ordained 
as  evangelist  at  Wobum,  Mass.,  November  30,  1838;  pastor 
at  Pepperell,  Mass.,  from  1838  to  1839.  He  embarked  at 
Boston  for  Palestine,  July  13,  1839,  and  was  missionary  resid- 
ing at  Jerusalem  until  the  loss  of  his  health  compelled  his  return 
to  this  country  in  1842;  pastor  of  this  church  from  July  2, 
1845  to  September  5, 1849;  pastor  in  Naugatuck  from  November 
21,  1849  to  May  25,  1869;  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
Nassau,  N.  Y.,  from  1870  to  1875,  and  without  charge  there 
until  October,  1884.  He  died  at  Manchester  Green,  Conn., 
January  3,  1899. 

Rev.  Ebenezer  B.  Andrews,  the  eighth  pastor,  was 
bom  at  Danbury,  Conn.,  April  29, 1821 ;  graduated  from  Marietta 


118 

College,  Ohio,  1842;  pastor  at  Housatonicville,  Conn.,  from 
April  29,  1846  to  April  4,  1849.  He  was  afterward,  for  a  year, 
teacher  of  the  Alger  Institute,  and  also  preacher  for  the  church 
at  South  Cornwall;  pastor  of  this  church  from  June  26,  1850 
to  November  12,  1851.  Impaired  health  occasioned  his  dis- 
mission from  his  pastorate  here;  and  he  served  as  professor 
of  Natural  Science  and  Natural  Theology  at  Marietta  College, 
Ohio,  from  1852  to  1867.  He  enlisted,  1861,  in  the  Thirty- 
sixth  regiment  of  Ohio  Volunteers  as  Major,  and  rose  to  be 
Colonel.  After  spending  two  years  in  the  army  he  returned 
to  his  professorship  in  the  college.  He  was  serving  the  church 
in  Lancaster,  O.,  when  he  died,  August  14,  1880,  aged  59 
years. 

Rev.  Horace  Winslow,  the  ninth  pastor,  was  born  May 
18, 1814,  at  Enfield,  Mass.;  graduated  from  Hamilton  College, 
Clinton,  N.  Y.,  1839;  studied  theology  at  Auburn  Theological 
Seminary,  N.  Y.,  and  at  Union  Theological  Seminary,  New 
York  City,  graduating  1840.  He  was  ordained  May  25,  1842; 
pastor  at  Lansmgburgh,  N.  Y.,  from  1843  to  1845;  pastor  in 
Rockville,  Conn.,  from  October  28,  1845,  to  November  30, 
1852;  pastor  of  this  church  from  December  29,  1852  to  Decem- 
ber 20,  1857;  pastor  in  Great  Harrington,  Mass.,  from  January 
5,  1858  to  March  19,  1862.  In  1862  he  was  appointed  chap- 
lain to  the  Fifth  regiment  Connecticut  Volunteers,  and  served 
several  months;  pastor  at  Binghamton,  N.  Y.,  from  December 
1,  1863  to  December  26,  1866;  pastor  at  Willimantic,  Conn., 
from  April  28,  1869,  to  April  28,  1881.  He  died  at  Weatogue, 
Conn.,  March  7,  1905. 

Rev.  Lav  alette  Perrin,  the  tenth  pastor,  was  born  in 
Vernon,  Conn.,  May  15,  1816,  graduated  from  Yale  College, 
1840,  and  from  Yale  Theological  Seminary,  1843;  ordained,  and 
pastor  at  Goshen,  Conn.,  from  December  13,1843  to  September 
4,  1857;  pastor  of  this  church  from  February  3,  1858  to  May 
31, 1870;  became  pastor  at  Torrington,  Conn.,  July  31, 1872.  He 
became  associate  editor  of  the  Religious  Herald  in  1875.  iHe 
died  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  February  18,  1889. 

Rev.  John  Henry  DenisoN,  the  eleventh  pastor,  was  bom 
at  Boston,  Mass.,  March  3, 1841;  graduated  from  Williams  Col- 
lege 1862;  studied  theology  at  Andover  Theological  Seminary, 
and  with  President  Mark  Hopkins  at  Williamstown,  Mass.; 


119 

missionary  at  Hampton,  Va.,  1866  to  1867;  acting  pastor  at 
South  Williamstown,  Mass.,  from  1868  to  1870;  ordained  at 
South  Williamstown  January  30,  1870,  and  pastor  until  1871; 
pastor  of  this  church  from  February  8,  1871  to  September  26, 
1878;  acting  pastor  at  the  Normal  Institute,  Hampton,  Va., 
from  1879  to  1880;  spent  two  years  in  Europe;  again  acting 
pastor  at  South  Williamstown  one  year;  now  pastor  at  Williams 
College. 

REV.  Elias  Huntington  Richardson,  the  twelfth  pas- 
tor, was  born  at  Lebanon,  N.  H.,  August  11,  1827;  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College  1850,  and  from  Andover  Theological 
Seminary  1853;  ordained,  and  pastor  at  Goffstown,  N.  H.,  from 
May  18,  1854  to  October  30,  1856;  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
Dover,  N.  H.,  from  December  10,  1856  to  December  10,  1863; 
pastor  of  the  Richmond  Street  Church,  Providence,  R.  I., 
from  December  30,  1863  to  April  8,  1867;  pastor  of  the  First 
Church,  Westfield,  Mass.,  from  May  1,  1867  to  April  5,  1872; 
pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Hartford,  Conn.,  from  April  24, 
1872  to  January  1,  1879,  and  pastor  of  this  church  from  Janu- 
ary 7,  1879  to  June  27,  1883,  when  he  died,  aged  56. 

REV.  George  Stockton  Burroughs,  LL.  D.,  the  thir- 
teenth pastor  of  this  church,  was  born  at  Waterloo,  N.  Y.,  January 

6,  1855;  graduated  from  the  College  of  New  Jersey  in  1873,  and 
from  the  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Presbyterian  Church 
at  Princeton,  N.  J.,  in  1877.  He  was  ordained  July  10,  1877; 
pastor  of  the  Fu*st  Presbyterian  Church  of  Slatington,  Pa., 
from  July  10,  1877,  to  January  26,  1880;  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  of  Christ,  Fairfield,  Conn.,  from  February  1,  1880 
to  February  3,  1884;  and  pastor  of  this  church  from  February 

7,  1884  to  January  1,  1887;  professor  of  Biblical  Literature, 
Amherst  College,  from  1886  to  1892;  president  and  professor 
of  Biblical  Literature,  Wabash  College,  from  1892  to  1899; 
professor  of  the  Old  Testament  Language  and  Literature, 
Oberlin  Seminary,  1899.     He  died  October  22,  1901. 

Rev.  William  Burnet  Wright,  D.  D.,  the  fourteenth 
pastor,  was  born  in  Cincinnati,  O.,  April  15,  1838;  graduated 
from  Dartmouth  College  in  1857;  spent  a  year  in  business; 
was  two  years  at  Andover  Seminary,  two  years  at  Berlin  and 
Halle  Universities;  ordained  at  Chicago,  1863;  remained  pastor 
of  the  South  Congregational  Church  in  that  city  until  1867; 


120 

pastor  of  Berkeley  Street  Church,  Boston,  1867  to  1880;  in- 
stalled pastor  of  this  church  February  15,  1888;  dismissed 
February  1,  1891,  to  become  pastor  of  the  Lafayette  Street 
Presbyterian  Church,  Buffalo,  N.  Y.;  pastor  of  that  church 
until  December  30,  1900. 

Rev.  George  Henry  Sandwell,  the  fifteenth  pastor, 
was  born  at  Ramsgate,  in  the  county  of  Kent,  England, 
December  13,  1849;  educated  at  Clifton  College  and  at  the 
Pastors'  College,  London;  ordained  July  1,  1873,  as  pastor  of 
the  Congregational  Church,  Woburn,  England;  held  pastorates 
subsequently  at  Ipswich,  London,  and  Southsea;  installed 
pastor  of  First  Congregational  Church,  Toronto,  Canada, 
May  30,  1889;  installed  pastor  of  the  First  Church  of  Christ, 
New  Britain,  Ct.,  February  17,  1892;  dismissed  to  become 
pastor  of  the  Congregational  Church,  Leytonstone,  England, 
June  30,  1897. 

Rev.  Russell  Thaddeus  Hall,  D.  D.,  the  sixteenth  pas- 
tor, was  born  in  Richmond,  Vt.,  October  6, 1844;  graduated  from 
Oberlin  College  in  1865,  and  from  Union  Theological  Seminary 
in  1870;  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  Pittsford,  Vt., 
September  8,  1870;  remained  there  till  September  1,  1879; 
pastor  at  Mt.  Vernon,  0.,  from  that  date  until  September  27, 
1885;  engaged  in  Home  Missionary  work  in  South  Florida 
till  October  2,  1887;  pastor  at  Jacksonville,  Fla.,  till  January 
3,  1892;  then  pastor  at  Greenwich,  Conn.,  till  December  16, 
1897,  and  pastor  of  this  church  from  that  date.  Died  August 
9,  1905. 

Rev.  Henry  William  MAIER,  born  at  Seneca  Falls,  New 
York,  August  8, 1866.  Attended  the  public  school  of  the  village. 
Hamilton  College  1889  and  Syracuse  University  1890. 
Auburn  Theological  Seminary  189^.  Pastor  of  the  Oaks 
Corners  Presbyterian  Church  June  1,  1893  to  May  1,  1900. 
Supply  at  Saratoga  Springs,  New  York,  from  May  1,  1900  to 
May  1,  1901.  Pastor  of  Union  Presbyterian  Church,  Schenec- 
tady, New  York,  from  June  1,  1901  to  April  1,  1907.  Pastor 
of  this  church  since  April  1,  1907. 


DEACONS  OF  FIRST  CHURCH  OF  CHRIST, 
NEW  BRITAIN 


John  Paterson 
Elijah  Hart 
JosiAH  Lee 
Isaac  Lee 
Daniel  Dewey 
Noah  Stanley 
Elijah  Hart,  2d 
Timothy  Stanley 
Benjamin  Wright 
Elijah  Hart,  3d 
David  Whittlesey 
Elijah  Francis 
Chauncey  Cornwall 
Norman  Hart 
Morton  Judd 
Alfred  Andrews 

ROSWELL  HAWLEY 

Albert  D.  Judd 
Lemuel  R.  Wells 
Henry  P.  Strong 
Elijah  F.  Blake 
Charles  Northend 
George  Clary 
♦Frank  L.  Hungerford 
Edward  H.  Davison 
Henry  S.  Walter 
Albert  N.  Lewis 
Cornelius  Andrews 
Arthur  DeWolfe 
Morris  C.  Webster  . 
fCHARLES  Elliott  Mitchell 
Edward  G.  Bradley 

*Died  June  22,  1909. 
lNote— On  March  17,  1911,  the  day 
work,  Mr.  Mitchell  passed  suddenly  away  in 


1758-1762 

1758-1772 

1772-1797 

1772-1802 

1772-1785 

1774-1778 

1780-1800 

1795-1817 

1801-1813 

1805-1827 

1807-1851 

1822-1846 

1837-1863 

1843-1851 

1851-1868 

1851-1876 

1851-1855 

1859-1864 

1859-1867 

1865-1897 

1867-1901 

1868-1895 

1876 

1876-1909 

1876 

1893 

1893 

1899 

1899-1904 

1901 

1907-1911 

1907 


following  his  completion  of  this 
the  74th  year  of  his  age. 


MAP   OF  THE  ECCLESIASTICAL   SOCIETY  OF  NEW 

BRITAIN,  IN  THE  TOWN  OF  FARMINGTON, 

CONN.,  1758. 

By  JAMES  Shepard,  M.  A. 

The  Society  was  incorporated  at  the  May  session  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Colony  of  Connecticut  in  1754.  On 
June  13,  1754,  it  voted  to  build  a  house  for  public  worship  and 
a  committee  was  appointed  October  25,  1754,  to  assist  the 
surveyor  to  make  a  map  of  the  parish  and  find  the  center  of  the 
society  as  near  as  they  can,  in  order  to  centrally  locate 
the  meeting-house.  We  know  nothing  as  to  the  details  of  that 
map,  which  after  having  served  its  purpose  was  no  doubt  laid 
away  and  finally  lost  or  destroyed.  Our  map  represents  the 
Society  as  it  was  four  years  after  its  incorporation  when  the 
church  was  organized  in  1758.  Public  religious  services  had 
frequently  been  held  within  the  limits  of  New  Britain,  prior 
to  that  date,  as  is  shown  by  the  church  records  of  Newington. 
According  to  tradition  the  first  service  in  New  Britain  was 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  William  Bumham  of  Kensington,  at 
the  house  of  Elijah  Smith,  on  East  Street,  not  far  from  where 
the  Stanley  Memorial  Chapel  now  stands.  The  Rev.  Mr. 
Burnham  died  September  23,  1750,  and  this  is  our  only  clue  to 
the  date  of  that  first  meeting. 

The  three  societies  of  New  Britain,  Kensington  and  Worth- 
ington  were  set  off  from  the  town  of  Farmington  in  1785  and 
incorporated  as  the  town  of  Berlin.  The  New  Britain  Society 
was  set  off  from  the  town  of  Berlin  and  incorporated  as  a  town 
by  itself  in  1850.  The  only  boundary  given  in  the  act  of  incor- 
poration, is  "all  that  part  of  the  town  of  Berlin  which  is  now 
included  within  the  limits  of  the  Society  of  New  Britain,"  and 
thus  our  town  boundary  dates  back  to  1754.  Immediately 
after  the  incorporation  of  the  town,  E.  M.  Woodford,  C.  E., 
made  a  survey  of  the  town  for  a  map,  giving  all  the  roads  and 


JaMKS   SllKl'AKl),    M.  A. 


123 

landowners,  which  map  was  published  by  Richard  Clark  of 
Philadelphia  in  1851.  This  is  the  oldest  map  of  New  Britain 
that  we  have  been  able  to  find.  Prof.  Camp's  History  of  New 
Britain  tells  us  what  roads  were  in  existence  about  1750  to 
1758.  The  roads  on  the  accompanying  map  are  mainly  the 
roads  mentioned  by  Prof.  Camp  as  they  appear  on  the  map 
of  1851.  The  exceptions  are  the  road  beginning  at  what  is 
now  the  west  end  of  Park  Street  and  terminating  at  the  east 
end  of  Whiting  Street,  and  the  road  from  the  old  Black  Rock 
school-house  to  what  is  now  the  corner  of  Lincoln  and  Hart 
Streets.  The  other  roads  no  doubt  have  been  slightly  changed 
but  in  general  they  were  so  nearly  like  the  present  roads  as  to 
give  a  good  idea  of  what  the  town  was  in  1758.  We  have 
endeavored  to  omit  from  our  map  all  roads  on  the  map  of  1851 
which  have  been  built  since  1758.  For  the  location  of  the 
houses  and  names  of  the  owners  we  are  indebted  to  Prof. 
Camp's  history  of  the  town  and  Deacon  Alfred  Andrews' 
history  of  the  church.  We  have  been  able  to  add  only  one 
item  to  what  they  give  and  that  is  the  particular  location  in 
Hart  Quarter  of  the  residence  of  Capt.  John  Langdon.  In 
some  cases  we  have  had  to  compare  the  location  of  the  owner 
of  1758  with  that  of  his  children  and  grandchildren,  and  after 
locating  them  where  Andrews  or  Camp  say  that  so-and-so 
lived  in  1867  or  1889,  when  their  histories  were  published,  we 
identified  such  locations  by  reference  to  New  Britain  maps  of 
corresponding  dates. 

The  society  of  New  Britain  was  made  up  from  parts  of 
three  different  societies,  Farmington,  Kensington  and  Newing- 
ton.  We  have  drawn  on  our  map  a  broken  line  running  east 
and  west  just  north  of  the  house  of  Benjamin  Judd  on  East 
Street,  to  indicate  the  northern  boundary  of  the  old  Kensington, 
or  Great  Swamp  Society.  All  persons  in  New  Britain  living 
south  of  this  line  belonged  to  the  Kensington  Society,  and 
their  meeting-house  stood  about  a  half  a  mile  southeast  of  the 
present  Berlin  depot.  Most  of  the  people  in  the  northern  part 
of  present  New  Britain  attended  church  in  Farmington,  while 
the  few  near  Luther's  Mills  and  the  north  end  of  East  Street 
attended  at  Newington.  Even  after  the  New  Britain  Society 
was  formed,  three  families  at  the  extreme  north  end  of  Stanley 
Quarter  were  permitted  to  attend  service  and  pay  minister's 
rates  at  Farmington.     We  have  definitely    located  forty-one 


124 

houses  besides  the  meeting-house,  as  standing  in  New  Britain 
about  1758,  while  there  were  seven  other  houses  that 
cannot  be  located  exactly,  although  we  know  on  what  streets 
they  were.  This  number  of  houses  represents  a  population 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  persons.  All 
of  the  families  from  these  forty-eight  houses,  (excepting  the 
three  northern-most  houses,  in  Stanley  Quarter,)  no  doubt 
attended  church  in  the  old  meeting-house  on  Smalley  Park. 
There  was  not  only  no  other  religious  organization  in  the  par- 
ish, but  practically  all  of  the  people  were  of  one  denomination 
and  belonged  to  the  one  church.  In  fact  there  were  only 
three  house  owners  in  New  Britain  in  1758,  that  we  cannot 
positively  identify  with  the  First  Church  of  Christ,  either 
through  the  husband  or  the  wife,  while  as  a  general  rule  both 
parents  belonged  to  the  church.  When  Dr.  Smalley  was  first 
settled  here  no  doubt  all  of  the  people  in  New  Britain  without 
an  exception  were  his  parishioners  and  naturally  he  always 
so  considered  all  the  inhabitants.  According  to  Deacon  An- 
drews, it  was  not  until  about  1770,  that  any  other  than  Con- 
gregationalists  resided  here,  for  "in  1772  there  were  but  three 
Churchmen,  and  perhaps  not  a  greater  number  of  Baptists." 
It  is  also  a  notable  thing  that  the  greater  part  of  all  the  roads 
had  their  southern  outlet  in  the  southeast  part  of  the  parish 
through  Christian  Lane,  where  the  first  meeting-house  in 
Kensington  was  located,  there  being  only  one  other  southern 
outlet,  viz:  through  what  is  now  known  as  Lincoln  Street  Ex- 
tension. We  know  of  only  three  of  the  house  owners  of  1758 
who  are  still  represented  on  the  same  land,  by  their  descendants 
of  the  same  surname  through  an  unbroken  succession.  Rollin 
D.  Judd  is  living  on  the  land  of  his  ancestor  John  Judd,  Mason 
P.  Andrews  on  the  land  of  his  ancestor  Moses  Andrews,  and 
Cornelius  Andrews  on  the  land  of  his  ancestor  Hezekiah  Andrews 
although  his  house  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  street.  All  three 
of  these  are  on  West  Main  Street.  Of  the  houses  standing  in 
1758  only  two  are  known  to  be  now  standing  on  the  same  land. 
The  old  house  on  the  east  side  of  Main  Street  nearly  opposite 
St.  Mary's  Church,  was  formerly  the  residence  of  Col.  Isaac 
Lee  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  built  soon  after  his  marriage 
in  1740.  The  old  house  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  trolley  to 
Plainville  just  after  we  turn  the  corner  westerly  by  the  old 
Black  Rock  school-house  is  the  Judah  Hart  house  and  is  sup- 


125 

posed  to  have  been  built  soon  after  his  marriage  in  1735.  It 
stands  near  the  power  house  of  the  Connecticut  Company, 
where  it  has  stood  for  about  one  hundred  and  seventy  years  or 
more,  and  thus  the  oldest  house  in  New  Britain  joins  hands 
with  our  modem  improvements,  the  trolley  and  electric  light. 
And  to  our  fathers  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago  and  to 
the  One  Father  of  us  all,  we  render  thanks  for  what  we  now  are 
and  for  the  light  that  we  now  have. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  SOCIETY 

OF 

NEW  BRITAIN 

IN     THE     TOWN    OF 

FARMINQTON,  CONN.  / 

IN  1756 

WHEN  THE  First  Church      y 

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